gems, jade, China, Chinese jade, Adam, jade lore, Fischer-Chinese

The Li Ji [禮記; Book of Rites or Record of Rites] is one of the principal Confucian classics, preserving texts on ritual, social organization, education, ethics, court ceremony, mourning, music, sacrifice, and proper conduct. Although traditionally associated with Confucius and his disciples, the surviving collection was compiled and edited over several centuries, principally from material dating to the late Zhou and early Han periods, and therefore cannot securely be attributed to Confucius himself. Of particular interest to gemologists are its numerous references to jade, including ritual jade objects, personal ornaments, pendants, insignia of rank, ceremonial gifts, and the symbolic qualities attributed to jade. Especially important is its celebrated comparison of jade’s physical characteristics with human virtues, associating qualities such as lustre, translucency, hardness, and sound with benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, loyalty, and other moral ideals. The work is consequently a fundamental source for understanding the ceremonial, social, and philosophical significance of jade in early Chinese culture.