Cylinder (cong), Jade, China, ca.2500 BC， Liangzhu culture. This jade cong, presenting a deep green color, has a cylindrical hollow interior. The external form of a square column with 15 sections.

Dark green with brown marking. A cong of 15 sections, drilled from both ends, the meeting point in the middle is no more than 3cm in diameter. One of the tallest cong known to date. On the collar (called she in Chinese) at the top is incised the faint outline of the wings and head of a bird. However it is not done in short, repeated strokes as in the case of A42-1936 bi.

This cong is from the Liangzhu culture, dating back to the period between 5300 and 4000 years ago. It is one of the archaeological cultures of the Neolithic era in China, which emerged and developed in the area around the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, particularly the region surrounding Lake Tai, with over 500 discovered sites. The most distinctive features of the Liangzhu culture include the use of jade and its inclusion in burials, represented by artifacts such as jade cong.

Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee

Liangzhu culture
James Watt opinion 11/6/1987: Neolithic. Unique in that only one he knows of that is unfinished, i.e had blocked in end.

A 'cong' is a jade tube that is square on the outside with a round perforation in the middle. An ancient Chinese text entitled ' Zhouli' ('Rituals of Zhou') describes the 'cong' as a ceremonial object to sacrifice to Earth. However, the 'cong' was made at least a thousand years before the 'Zhouli' was written and its function in prehistoric times remains unknown.

Jade is an extremely hard material, making its carving a challenging task that requires a considerable amount of labor and resources. Archaeologists have discovered jade congs of varying heights in many high-status tombs.

A.46-1936