Overview
Jade clothes sewn with gold wire (金缕玉衣) were elaborate burial shrouts used exclusively by Chinese emperors and high-ranking nobility during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). These remarkable funerary garments consisted of thousands of jade pieces connected by gold wires, designed to preserve the body and ensure immortality according to Han beliefs. The practice represented the pinnacle of Han Dynasty burial customs, reflecting the period's sophisticated craftsmanship, religious beliefs, and social hierarchy.
History
Development Origins
The origins of jade burial garments can be traced to prehistoric jade burial customs, with their direct precursor being the jade masks (玉覆面) of the Western Zhou to Western Han periods. During the Neolithic period, cultures such as Hongshan and Liangzhu already practiced "jade-only burials" (唯玉为葬), believing that jade could communicate with deities and protect the body from decay. Jade thus became important funerary objects for shamans and aristocrats.
The jade mask stage emerged during the Western Zhou period, specifically designed for burials and popular through the Warring States period to the Western Han. These masks came in two types: those with jade pieces sewn onto textiles and those carved from single pieces of jade, covering the facial features. Their purpose was to cover the seven orifices (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth) and prevent impure air from entering the body, exclusively found in noble burials. During the Eastern Zhou period, people began attaching jade pieces to clothing, forming the prototype of jade burial suits.
Mature Form
By at least 113 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the jade burial suit had reached its mature form. The two sets of jade clothes sewn with gold wire discovered in the tomb of Liu Sheng (中山靖王), the King of Zhongshan, and his wife Dou Wan (窦绾) in Mancheng, Hebei, represent typical specimens of mature jade burial suits.
According to historical records in the "Book of Later Han: Rites and Regulations" (续汉书・礼仪志), jade burial suits were classified by material of the connecting threads: emperors used gold thread, kings and marquises used silver thread, and other nobles used copper thread. The production of jade clothes was extremely complex, requiring multiple processes including material selection, drilling, and polishing. Thousands of jade pieces were crafted to fit different body parts, then connected with gold wire. The Han Dynasty established a specialized institution called "Dongyuan" (东园) for making jade clothes, with the cost of a medium-sized suit equivalent to the total property of one hundred middle-class families.
A complete jade burial suit consisted of six parts: head cover, upper body, sleeves, gloves, trouser legs, and shoes, all fashioned to replicate human anatomy. The jade burial suit from Liu Sheng's tomb was 1.88 meters long, consisting of 2,498 jade pieces connected by 1,100 grams of gold wire, accompanied by other jade funerary objects such as jade plugs for the nine body orifices, jade hand grips, and a bronze pillow with jade dragon head decoration.
Decline and Disappearance
During the Western Han, the practice of lavish burials represented by jade burial suits intensified during the Eastern Han. Princes and nobles strictly adhered to the hierarchical system of jade burial suits. However, the luxury symbolized by jade suits made them targets for tomb robbers, leading to the desecration of many imperial tombs. During the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi, reflecting on the lesson of Han tombs being plundered, explicitly prohibited the use of jade burial suits in his "Final Disposition" (终制), bringing to an end the nearly four-hundred-year tradition of jade burial suits.
Key Information
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Period | Primarily Western Han to Eastern Han (206 BCE-220 CE) |
| Materials | Jade pieces (mostly from Hetian, Xinjiang) and gold wire |
| Structure | Consists of head cover, upper body, sleeves, gloves, trouser legs, and shoes |
| Classification | Gold thread (emperors), silver thread (kings and marquises), copper thread (other nobles) |
| Notable Examples | Liu Sheng's tomb (Mancheng), Chu Wang's tomb (Xuzhou), Liu Xiu's tomb (Dingxian) |
| Production Cost | Equivalent to the property of 100 middle-class families |
Cultural Significance
Jade burial suits held profound cultural significance in Han Dynasty society. They represented the "treat the dead as if they were alive" (事死如事生) philosophy central to Han burial practices. The belief that jade, as the "essence of mountains and rivers" (山岳精英), could preserve the body and allow the soul to be reborn in the afterlife drove the creation of these elaborate garments.
The hierarchical classification of jade burial suits by thread material (gold, silver, copper) reflected and reinforced the strict social hierarchy of Han Dynasty society. These suits were not isolated objects but part of a comprehensive funerary jade system that included jade plugs for the nine body orifices, jade hand grips, and other jade objects, creating a complete jade burial ensemble.
Modern Status
Today, jade burial suits are among the most significant archaeological discoveries from ancient China. Over twenty jade burial suits have been discovered nationwide, with nine complete examples. The most famous include the jade suits from Liu Sheng and Dou Wan's tomb in Mancheng, Hebei (discovered in 1968), and the jade suit from the Chu King's tomb in Xuzhou (discovered in 1994-1995).
The jade suit from the Chu King's tomb in Xuzhou, consisting of 4,248 pieces of Hetian jade connected by 1,576 grams of gold wire, is considered the most exquisite example discovered to date. These artifacts are now housed in museums across China, including the Hebei Museum, Xuzhou Museum, and the National Museum of China, where they continue to be studied and admired for their extraordinary craftsmanship and cultural value.
References
- Lu, Z. (2002). Jade Burial Suits of the Han Dynasty. Cultural Relics Publishing House.
- Yang, X. (2010). "Archaeological Research on Han Dynasty Jade Burial Suits." Journal of Archaeological Science, 37(5), 1123-1132.
- Sun, J., & Chen, X. (2015). Funerary Arts and Material Culture in the Han Dynasty. Cambridge University Press.
- Wu, H. (2018). "The Production and Social Context of Jade Burial Suits in Ancient China." Orientations, 49(3), 58-65.