Features and Developments of Prehistoric Jade Employment in the Central Plains of China

This paper attempts to collate archaeological discoveries of jade artifacts in the Central Plains of China at different stages of the prehistoric periods and investigate the jade artifacts’ geographical distributions, types, and employment statuses, to explore the jade employment features, concepts, and developments in the Central Plains. From the Peiligang period to the Longshan period, the jade employment culture in the Central Plains in the prehistoric periods obviously showed a formation process from scratch. The Central Plains was not the place of origin for the jade culture; instead, it was more about accepting external influences, developing its jade employment culture, and enjoying the advantages of a late-comer to develop rapidly. The late-comer advantages and the formation of a historical trend centered on the Central Plains enabled the jade culture to gather, merge, and popularize in the Central Plains in the prehistoric periods. The Central Plains not only served as a transit point for jade artifacts’ continued diffusion northward and westward but also further established jade artifacts as an indispensable factor in the early ritual system civilization and in their inheritance and development throughout historic periods.