The Decoding of“Xia Qi's Right Hand Holding a Ring” Narrative in <i>Shanhai Jing</i>—The Prehistoric Giant Wearing Jade Ornaments

YE Shuxian

doi:10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20247201

Volume 7 Issue 2

Aug. 2024

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YE Shuxian. The Decoding of“Xia Qi's Right Hand Holding a Ring” Narrative in Shanhai Jing—The Prehistoric Giant Wearing Jade Ornaments[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2024, 7(2): 5-40. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20247201

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YE Shuxian. The Decoding of“Xia Qi's Right Hand Holding a Ring” Narrative in Shanhai Jing—The Prehistoric Giant Wearing Jade Ornaments[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2024, 7(2): 5-40. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20247201

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The Decoding of“Xia Qi's Right Hand Holding a Ring” Narrative in Shanhai Jing—The Prehistoric Giant Wearing Jade Ornaments

doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20247201

YE Shuxian^,

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

More Information

Author Bio:
YE Shuixian，with a doctorate in literature，is a senior professor of Shanghai Jiaotong University and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He is mainly engaged in comparative literature and comparative culture studies such as literary anthropology.
Received Date: 2024-01-11
Accepted Date: 2024-04-05

Abstract

Abstract

The paper takes a perspective of literary anthropology and utilizes a four-pronged evidence method to explore the cultural significance of the prehistoric“Giant”with jade rings and the“Right Hand Grasping a Jade Ring”narrative in Shanhai Jing《山海经》（The Classic of Mountains and Seas）from the Xia Dynasty in light of Zhouyuan Xian District Museum's burial site. The use of jade rings in the burial customs of prehistoric giants，particularly on their left wrists，leads to the exploration of the connection between jade rings and burial customs in prehistoric times. By studying the new archaeological discoveries of multiple prehistoric sites，it is recognized that tying jade bracelets and rings onto the right arm of the deceased during burials was a widespread practice during the Longshan Culture period. This unique ritual behavior pattern embodies the aspiration and motivation for the soul of the deceased to ascend to heaven. By this token，the paper shifts its focus to the interpretation of the“Right Hand Grasping a Jade Ring” narrative in Shanhai Jing，which is found to match the burial customs of wearing jade rings on the right hand during the Longshan Culture period through a combination of archaeological discoveries and historical documents. Jade rings have a meaning of communication with gods and symbolized immortality in prehistoric culture. The unexplained“Right Hand Grasping a Jade Ring”narrative about the Xia Dynasty's founding monarch，which has remained mysterious since ancient times，has now been verified by the archaeological evidence of jade ring and bracelet burials during the Longshan Culture period. The mutual verification between jade rings and mythological narratives，as well as new archaeological discoveries，highlight the unique role of the“priority of material evidence”in the four-pronged evidence method in exploring Chinese civilization.

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References(22)

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