A bi is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre. Neolithicbi are undecorated, while those of later periods of China, like the Zhou dynasty, bear increasingly ornate surface carving whose motifs represented deities associated with the sky as well as standing for qualities and powers the wearer wanted to invoke or embody. As laboriously crafted objects, they testify to the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a small elite.
Meaning
Later traditions associate the bi with heaven, and the cong with the earth. Bi disks are consistently found with heaven and earth-like imagery, suggesting that the disk's circular shape also bears symbolic significance as this description explains:
Function
From these earliest times they were buried with the dead, as a sky symbol, accompanying the dead into the after world or "sky", with the cong which connected the body with the earth. They were placed ceremonially on the body in the grave of persons of high social status. Bi are sometimes found near the stomach and chest in neolithic burials. Jade, like bi disks, has been used throughout Chinese history to indicate an individual of moral quality, and has also served as an important symbol of rank. They were used in worship and ceremony – as ceremonial items they symbolised the ranks of emperor, king, duke, marquis, viscount, and baron with four different Guis and two different bi disks. In war during the Zhou dynasty period, bi disks belonging to the leaders of the defeated forces were handed over to the victor as a sign of submission.
In 1790 AD, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty had an ancient Bi inscribed with a message. He also wrote a poem entitled: "Verses Composed on Matching a Ding-ware Ceramic with an Ancient Jade Bowl Stand’". It reads as follows: "It is said there were no bowls in antiquity / but if so, then where did this stand come from? It is said that this stand dates to later times / but the jade is antique. It is also said that a bowl called wan is the same as a basin called yu, but only differing from it in size.". He also wrote: "This stand is made of ancient jade / but the jade bowl that once went with it is long gone. As one cannot show a stand without a bowl / we have selected a ceramic from the Ding kiln for it." He has also included the day, and year on the disc. The Qianlong emperor assumed the Bi was a bowl stand, so he found a bowl and engraved it with messages to match the ones he engraved on the disc. This bi disc was also used for the Qianlong Emperor's funeral, and was also used for high status people's funerals as well.
