Feb., 1912. 



Jade. 



iSi 



p. 139). In the Huang ch'ao li k'i t'u shih (Ch. 1, p. 35 b) where the 

 two are sketched, it is stated that the Chou li does not mention any 

 jade devices devoted to those two gods, and that this usage goes back 

 to the ritual established in the K'ai-yiian period (713-741 a. d.) of the 

 T'ang dynasty. The regulations of the Emperor K'ien-lung provide 

 for the Great God of the Soil (T'ai She) an image of white jade with 

 yellow stripes "to symbolize the virtues (forces) of Earth" (t'u te), 



*% « 



Fig. 70. 

 Jade Image of Earth in the Temple of Earth, Peking (from Huang ch'ao li k'i t'u shih). 



and for the Great God of the Harvest (T'ai Tsi) an image of green 

 jade, "because green implies the idea of budding." Both pieces are 

 much the same in shape, except that the foundation of the latter is 

 square, while that in the image of the God of the Soil is shaped like the 

 image of Earth in the Ti-t'an (Fig. 70) without the hill -ornaments. 

 The kuei attached are the same as in the ancient Chou specimens 

 (Plate XV, Figs. 4 and 5). The sides of the central squares measure 

 three inches in length and three-tenths inch in thickness, while the 

 points of the kuei are only two-tenths of an inch thick and their sides 

 somewhat thicker. The symbolism expressed by the formation of 

 these two images is clear : the square nucleus is emblematic of Earth ; 

 the pointed kuei is an emblem of male potency and fertility and there- 

 fore connected also with the worship of the Spring (see below). 



The ta ts'ung which was the jade emblematic of the power of the 

 empress at the time of the Chou period and the huang ts'ung which was 

 the image of the deity Earth, give us occasion to grasp the meaning 



