gems, jade, China, nephrite, archaic jade

The dragon, as a mythical animal, emerges earliest and most prominently in Hongshan cultural jades, primarily found in the burials of a ruling elite. Although an isolated depiction of a dragon appears as décor on a Yangshao Neolithic pot, its role as a cultural signifier and phenomenon is first identified during the Hongshan cultural period, the initial phase of the Jade Age (ca. 3000–2300 BCE). The frequent appearance of this powerful symbol in Hongshan jades and its continuity in the ritual imagery of later Longshan cultures strongly suggests a northeastern origin. This influence likely shaped the cultural center of the East Asian Heartland, eventually evolving into what we now recognize as modern-day China.