Slit bead (jue)

The slit bead jue is somewhat of an enigma. As Rawson points out, these objects were fairly common in certain early to middle Neolithic cultures, but seem to have vanished during the late Neolithic, only to reappear some 1000 or more years later during the early Eastern Zhou (Rawson, p. 243). She also suggests that the Eastern Zhou examples were conscious copies of Neolithic prototypes, and that these earlier pieces had survived to serve as models.

The exact function of these objects also remains somewhat of a mystery. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Neolithic jue was most commonly an earring. However, the Eastern Zhou version with its long profile and narrow opening could serve this function only in a very awkward fashion. The opening also makes it difficult to imagine how such a piece could function as a bead for suspending a pendant; any line passing through it would easily escape through the long slot.

Rawson suggests that the flattened version of the jue was used in conjunction with a shroud in the changing burial practices of the Eastern Zhou period (Rawson, p. 243). This is consistent with the location of these objects in burials. It is possible that the more tubular version served a similar function.

Much of the jade of this jue has been altered by burial and is cloudy white in color. However, there is an area on one side that is not altered and reveals the tan-colored stone from Khotan found in many Western Zhou pieces. The decoration consists of curvilinear patterns created by pairs of parallel lines and ending in a small circular motif. Small independent circles are also found between the larger motifs. Many of the linear patterns contain traces of red, no doubt the remains of cinnabar powder which was used in Chinese burials as early as the Neolithic period.