LIANGZHU CULTURE, CIRCA 3100-2000 BC

The front side of the present disc is incised with an emblem of a standing bird on an altar, measuring approximately 4.3 cm. long. The image is of a bird standing on three stacked circles above an altar-like platform. The standing bird symbolises the 'Heavenly Emperor,' and it standing on a high pole which may be the origin of the later 'dove staff.' Jade discs from the Liangzhu culture bearing the ‘bird on an altar’ symbol hold special ritual significance. One theory suggests that they serve as a code for communication between Liangzhu shamans and deities, which is why they are intentionally carved lightly and difficult to decipher. According to a calculation by Ms. Teng Shu-p'ing in 1999, there are a total of 13 Liangzhu jade discs with symbols worldwide, 12 of which are related to birds. See the introductory essay included in 1999 Collectors' Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Taipei, 1999, p. 20. A similar example can be found in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (23.65 cm. diam.) (fig. 1), which features a similar 'bird on an altar' symbol on the front (fig. 2) and incised lines of birds, fish, and cloud patterns along the edge.