Date: Liangzhu Culture (c. 5,400 to 4,300 years ago)

Dimensions: Outer diameter 23.0 cm, Inner diameter 4.5 cm, Thickness 1.3 cm

Material: Jade

• Object Type：
  • JADE
• Location：
  • Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery
• Tag：
  • bi disc bird on the altar liangzhu culture jade

It is written in the Rites of the Zhou that bi discs are ritually associated with the Heaven. Bi disc is one of the chief artifact forms found in the Liangzhu culture, whose near-round outer rim testifies to the cosmological knowledge of ancient Chinese. More than ten jades have been found incised with signs of either a stepped altar or a bird perching on an altar, most of which are handed-down items.