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- Han to Ming
206 B.C.-A.D. 1644
In 221 B.C. the mighty state of Qin unified China, but by 206 B.C.theirempire col�lapsed and the new dynasty of Han (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) was established. The Han dynasty was the first enduring Chinese empire, and it was such a prosperous and admired period that the Chinese have called themselves �Han� people ever since. It was a time when there were great developments in science, art, literature, mu�sic and industry. Under the sixth Han emperor, Wu Di (141 -87 B.C.), Chinese ar�mies marched westwards expanding the borders of China farther than ever be�fore. For the first time China's main source of jade, Khotan, was brought under Chinese control, thus making large quantities of jade available to the jade carver.
Despite the inheritance of a highly developed jade carving tradition from the late Eastern Zhou, which included the use of iron tools, there was a diminishing concern with surface decorations on jades during the Han dynasty. Jades of this period had a tendency to be either plain or decorated with easily produced de�signs. There were basically two kinds of decorative patterns on Han jades: geo�metric or zoomorphic. The geometric patterns, which were technically easy to produce, include criss-cross patterns, simple incised spirals, articulated C-scrolls1 and the grain and rush patterns. The latter patterns, a continuation of the late East�ern Zhou, were now produced in a routine fashion on bi discs. During the Han, there was a major shift from geometric patterns to realistic animal depictions. � Zoomorphic patterns can be further subdivided into two categories: realistic or conventionalized to the point of being barely recognizable. The different animals of the four compass points: the turtle, dragon, phoenix and tiger, became popular subjects replacing the mythical creatures of the Zhou.
The names and functions of Han jades are relatively clear compared with previ�ous periods, because of the existence of an abundant supply of historical material and a large amount of reliable data provided by the excavation of over 10,000 Han tombs. The late Dr. Xia Nai of the Institute of Archaelogy in Beijing, has divided the shapes and functions of Han jades into four categories: ritual objects, burial pieces, ornaments and sculptures.2
Of the Six Auspicious Jades mentioned in the Zhouli, only the disc and the gui tablet possibly continued to have a ritual function in the Han period. The cong and the zhang, even though occasionally found in excavations, seem to have lost their ceremonial significance, and were probably no longer made.3 The huang arc and the hu tiger were also discontinued as ritual objects, but their shape was used for purely ornamental purposes. The shift in emphasis from ritual to secular use of jades, which started in late Zhou times, becomes more apparent during the Han. In fact, it can be said that the Han put an end to the traditional ritual jades of the Shang and Zhou, ushering in a new age in the field of jade carving.
There are four major kinds of bi discs which were produced during the Han pe�riod:
1 the earliest and most common type was the plain, undecorated bi,
2 decorated bi discs with grain or rush patterns,
3 decorated bi disc with grain pattern encircled with a band of intertwined ani�mals,
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