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A pig dragon or ''zhūlóng'' () is a type of
jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
artifact from the
Hongshan culture The Hongshan culture () was a Neolithic culture in the West Liao river basin in northeast China. Hongshan sites have been found in an area stretching from Inner Mongolia to Liaoning, and dated from about 4700 to 2900 BC. The culture is named aft ...
of
neolithic China This is a list of Neolithic cultures of China that have been unearthed by archaeologists. They are sorted in chronological order from earliest to latest and are followed by a schematic visualization of these cultures. It would seem that the defin ...
. Pig dragons are zoomorphic forms with a pig-like head and elongated limbless body coiled around to the head and described as "suggestively fetal". Early pig dragons are thick and stubby, and later examples have more graceful, snakelike bodies. Pig dragons were produced by the
Hongshan culture The Hongshan culture () was a Neolithic culture in the West Liao river basin in northeast China. Hongshan sites have been found in an area stretching from Inner Mongolia to Liaoning, and dated from about 4700 to 2900 BC. The culture is named aft ...
. Along with the same culture's jade eagles (),Ko, Patrick. ''Federation of Medical Studies of Hong Kong'',
The History of Ancient Chinese Jade Culture
. Jan 2008. they often featured as
grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...
. Pig bones have been found interred alongside humans at Hongshan burial sites, suggesting that the animal had some ritual significance. There is some speculation that the pig dragon is the first representation of the
Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon, also known as ''loong'', ''long'' or ''lung'', is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many Outline of life forms, animal-like forms such as Bixi (my ...
. The character for "dragon" in the earliest
Chinese writing Written Chinese () comprises Chinese characters used to represent the Chinese language. Chinese characters do not constitute an alphabet or a compact syllabary. Rather, the writing system is roughly logosyllabic; that is, a character generally r ...
has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang period.Salviati, Filippo (2002). ''The Language of Adornment: Chinese Ornaments of Jade, Crystal, Amber and Glass'', Fig. 17. Ten Speed Press. .


See also

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Chinese jade Chinese jade refers to the jade mined or carved in China from the Neolithic onward. It is the primary hardstone of Chinese sculpture. Although deep and bright green jadeite is better known in Europe, for most of China's history, jade has come i ...
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Bi (jade) The ''bi'' is a type of circular ancient Chinese jade artifact. The earliest ''bi'' were produced in the Neolithic period, particularly by the Liangzhu culture ( 3400– 2250 BCE).
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Magatama are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period, approximately 1000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The beads, also described as "jewels", were made of primitive stone and eart ...
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Lingling-o ''Lingling-o'' or ''ling-ling-o'', is a type of penannular or double-headed pendant or amulet that has been associated with various late Neolithic to late Iron Age Austronesian cultures. Most ''lingling-o'' were made in jade workshops in the Ph ...
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Gogok ''Gobeunok'' or ''Gogok'' are comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels that appeared from middle age of Mumun Period (1500 to 300 BC) through the Three Kingdoms of Korea (57 BC to 668 AD). The ''Gogok'' (곡옥; 曲玉) is posited by researchers ...
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Cong (jade) A ''cong'' () is a form of ancient Chinese jade artifact. It was later also used in ceramics. History The earliest ''cong'' were produced by the Liangzhu culture ( 3400- 2250 BC); later examples date mainly from the Shang and Zhou dynasties ...


References


External links


Discussion and Images of Pig Dragons
Archaeological artifacts of China Chinese dragons Jade {{china-sculpture-stub