Jade cong is a kind of jade with an inner circle and an outer circle, and it is a ritual vessel for ancient people to sacrifice to the gods. From about 5 100 to the middle and late Neolithic Age, a large number of jade cong appeared in Liangzhu culture, Shi Xia culture and Taosi culture in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, with Liangzhu culture being the most developed and a large number of jade cong unearthed and circulated.
Jade cong, later also known as "Yuantou". Its use has always been considered as a ritual vessel of "respecting the land with Huangyan". However, due to the large number of jade cong unearthed in Liangzhu culture, this attachment to Confucian classics in the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties is not enough. According to its modeling and decorative features, some scholars speculate that it is an instrument for wizards to connect heaven and earth to sacrifice ghosts and gods, with a strong primitive witchcraft color. Its specific use method remains to be verified.
Jade cong was still very common in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, but it was rare after the Warring States and Han Dynasties. Its use has also been incorporated into the Confucian etiquette system, becoming a ritual vessel or burial vessel.
In the choice of jade cong, the jade material of Liangzhu culture is tremolite jade from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which is impure in texture, mostly cyan and ochre. Judging from the unearthed jade cong, except for some jade cong, the appearance of most jade cong has been eroded to pink, and the degree of immersion is much higher than that of jade cong in the same tomb. The surface color of jade cong is relatively uniform, unlike jadeite jade, which has bright and changeable massive spots.