Review of the Researches on the Material of Unearthed Jade in China

Ancient jade artifacts unearthed in China threaded the 9000-year Chinese civilization with their continuous discovery over generations and all over the country. The research on the material of unearthed jade in China is of great significance to the accurate naming, the protection of cultural relics, the study of the concept of ancient jade using, the carving technique of ancient jade, and the circulation and trade of jade materials. The research content mainly includes the jade carving technique, the material of the jade artifacts and the jade culture. The research of the material of jade starts relatively late in China, and only those who have the basic knowledge and skills of science and engineering can carry out effective research, but so far the research coverage is limited, and there are still difficulties in the research. Based on extensive literature analysis and the author's own research examples, this paper combs the research status of the materials of unearthed jade in the past 50 years. First, it analyzes the researcher's specialty, research perspective and method. Then, according to the time sequence, the material characteristics of jade unearthed from Neolithic age to Qing Dynasty are summarized. Among them, through the research examples, the material characteristics of the jade unearthed in prehistoric period are emphatically introduced. Finally, this paper points out the difficulties in studying the material of unearthed jade and puts forward some suggestions. It is expected to provide some basic information for the scholars engaged in the study of materials of unearthed jade in the future.