China News Service, Beijing, June 1 (Reporter Sun Zifa) As one of the important jade ritual vessels in ancient China, the research on the origin and proliferation of Yazhang has long attracted the attention of the archaeological community.

  Deng Cong, a distinguished professor of Shandong University and the editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Chronicle's "Archaeology and Cultural Relics Volume", recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency through the Internet, saying that about 4,500 years ago, Yazhang first appeared in Shandong, and then spread three times in East Asia. Hong Kong Lamma In 1990, the Shang Dynasty Jade Yazhang was unearthed at Dawan Dawan Site, which originated from the Pearl River Delta and arrived in Xiangjiang by sea in the middle of the Shang Dynasty.

  In 1990, Professor Deng Cong led the joint archaeological team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Sun Yat-sen University to carry out the archaeological excavation of the Dawan site on Lamma Island. In 2005, he was invited to participate in the Chinese Civilization Exploration Project. Cooperate to conduct in-depth comparative research on Yazhang unearthed in Hong Kong, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Pearl River Delta.

  He said that after years of continuous research, the archaeological community has reached four major consensuses on the history of Yazhang in East Asia: first, Yazhang first appeared in Shandong about 4,500 years ago; second, Yazhang first appeared in the Yellow River about 4,000 years ago The third is about 3,700 years ago, the second time Yazhang spread backward from west to east, and the Yazhang at the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan showed a huge size and became a symbol of the country's mature palace etiquette; fourth, the Xia-Shangzhi The third time Yazhang spread to the south on a large scale, and Yazhang was found in the Yangtze River, Pearl River and northern Vietnam.

Schematic diagram of the comparative study of Yazhang unearthed from several sites.

Photo courtesy of Deng Cong

  Deng Cong said that in 1990, Hong Kong's Lamma Island archaeological discovery of a large number of jade artifacts about more than 3,000 years ago, among which the most popular jade yazhang, academically confirms the relationship between Hong Kong and the Central Plains culture, and is also called Hong Kong treasure by the Hong Kong cultural circle.

In 1997, on the celebration of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage held the "Exhibition of Chinese Cultural Relics and National Treasures" at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

  He pointed out that in 2016, two pieces of Yazhang were unearthed in the tombs of the Moyishan site in Zengcheng, Guangzhou. The shape of the jade is basically the same as that of the Hong Kong Dawan Yazhang. According to research, Yuyazhang arrived in Xiangjiang by sea in the mid-Shang Dynasty.

The Yazhang tomb M6 in Dawan may be owned by the leader of Lamma Island, and it is a symbol of political power and sacrificial rituals.

At that time, the aristocratic class of society possessed many jade ritual vessels in the style of the Shang Dynasty, which became a symbol of Hong Kong's entry into a civilized society.

This also shows that "Hong Kong has never been a cultural desert, and Dawan Yuyazhang is an oasis of local ancient civilization".

  Deng Cong said that Guizhang was the most advanced jade ritual vessel in the pre-Qin period.

The name of Yazhang was first seen in "Zhou Li", but it has never been known what it was.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Dazang's "Ancient Jade Tu Kao" was named as Yazhang.

Modern archaeology adopts the name of Yazhang, but it is not equivalent to the Yazhang in "Zhou Li". The Yazhang discovered by archaeology is an ancient jade ritual vessel dating back 4500-3000 years.

  He revealed that in the early days, the yazhang was used as a sacrifice to the mountains and rivers. In recent years, through microscopic observation of the yazhang, the use marks on the edge of the blade are obvious, and it is speculated that it may be a weapon.

Around 3,700 years ago, the Yazhang in the Central Plains was transformed into an important court ceremonial vessel and a symbol of royal power. In recent years, some scholars believe that the Yazhang may be the core jade ritual vessel of the Xia Dynasty.

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