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

The Zhou Li [周禮; Rites of Zhou] is an ancient Chinese ritual and administrative text traditionally attributed to the Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gongdan), although the surviving work is generally considered to have been compiled considerably later. It presents an idealized system of Zhou government through detailed descriptions of official offices, responsibilities, ceremonies, crafts, taxation, agriculture, and the management of natural resources. Of particular interest to gemologists are passages concerning jade and other valued materials, including the classification, manufacture, ceremonial use, and official control of jade objects. The text describes different forms of ritual jade associated with rank, sacrifice, court ceremony, and cosmological symbolism and provides important early terminology for jade objects and their functions. It is consequently a major source for understanding the institutional, ritual, and symbolic importance of jade in early China.