Longshan Jade: Treasures from one of the least studied and most extraordinary neolithic jade eras

The cultural landscape of the middle-lower Yellow River valley and coastal areas in the third millennium B.C. has been identified as the cradle of Chinese civilization. It was the home of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, which commonly signified the birth of Chinese civilization, roughly 4,000-6,000 years ago.

The Central Plains Region, not too far away from the first dynasty, Xia (2,100-1,600 B.C.), was also a historic territory of the Longshan era (Early Longshan 3...