These objects demonstrate the scope of jade use in Chinese culture. The bi disk and cong tube were used in ritual ceremonies in archaic periods to worship heaven and earth. The large ge halberd was a symbol of status and power during the Bronze Age. By the 8th century BCE, jade was associated with virtues such as humanity, intellect, righteousness and etiquette.
Jade ornaments adorned the studios of the learned and were worn as pendants. One ancient statement advised that ‘the gentleman [junzi] does not remove his jade without reason.’