gems, jade, China, nephrite, archaic jade

This catalogue accompanied the Shanghai Museum’s 2023 exhibition on the emergence of civilization in the lower Yangtze River region between approximately 5800 and 4300 years ago. It presents 279 objects or groups of objects excavated from major sites including Dongshancun, Lingjiatan, Liangzhu, and Fuquanshan. Organized into four sections—early state civilization, rice-growing civilization, craft civilization, and jade civilization—the volume examines the development of complex societies through agriculture, specialized production, ceremonial practices, and systems of social and political authority. Illustrated pottery, jade, stone, and ivory objects demonstrate the technological and artistic achievements of the Songze, Liangzhu, and related cultures, while the accompanying texts explain their archaeological contexts and historical significance. Particular attention is given to jade ritual objects and the role of Liangzhu culture as an early regional state and as important archaeological evidence for the antiquity and development of Chinese civilization.