In traditional Chinese culture, jade is not only an aesthetic medium but also a spiritual totem. With its gentle, introverted, and resilient qualities, it has been endowed with profound cultural connotations, especially concerning the grand theme of “career.” Jade artifacts have carried the ancients' infinite hopes for fame, fortune, and the realization of ambitions. As a jade carving art critic, I often glimpse the tumultuous career stories and inherited wisdom behind the jade artifacts that have been passed down through generations.
Tracing back to ancient times, jade was closely associated with power and status. The “Book of Rites: Jade Ornaments” states: “A gentleman does not part with jade without cause.” This was not only a requirement for self-cultivation but also a symbol of identity. In the Zhou Dynasty, ritual jades such as gui and zhang were important credentials for emperors and feudal lords to perform sacrifices and alliances. Their forms, sizes, and patterns all displayed the rank and authority of their holders. Holding gui and zhang meant controlling the lifeline of the nation and possessing the qualification to establish a great undertaking. This concept of “jade carrying power” was the initial genesis of jade’s career symbolism.
From the Qin and Han dynasties onwards, jade played a crucial role in official attire. The “group pendants” popular in the Han Dynasty, consisting of multiple jade pieces of different shapes and meanings strung together, jingled when walking, which was both a manifestation of etiquette and an expression of the wearer's hope for “rising step by step” and “smooth official career.” The famous “jade burial suit” (金缕玉衣), although a funerary object, reflected the emperor's desire for eternal power and his grand vision of a lasting dynasty. Among the common people, jade bi and huang were often used as tokens, signifying honest business and successful careers.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, with the development of the commodity economy and the rise of the literati class, the “career” symbolism of jade became more diverse and secular. Literati wore jade pendants, often carved with bamboo stalks or lotus flowers, symbolizing “rising steadily” and the noble character of “being unstained by mud.” Or they carved auspicious mythical beasts such as dragons, phoenixes, and qilin, embodying grand aspirations like “dragon soaring and tiger leaping” and “phoenix singing at dawn.” The “ma shang feng hou” (monkey riding a horse) motif, common in Song Dynasty jade carvings, more directly expressed the desire for a smooth official career and promotion. During this period, jade was no longer exclusively for the powerful; merchant families also began to wear jade to pray for “prosperous business” and “abundant wealth.”
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, jade carving art reached its peak, and its career symbolism became even richer and more intricate. At this time, various homophonic auspicious patterns emerged endlessly. “Lian nian you yu” (lotus and fish), “fu lu shou xi” (bat, deer, peach of immortality, magpie), “zhao cai jin bao” (pixiu, three-legged toad), etc., were all cleverly incorporated into jade carvings. For example, a jade pendant carved with a bat (fu, meaning fortune) and copper coins (cai, meaning wealth) symbolized “fortune at hand, wealth flowing in,” a typical symbol for merchants praying for business success. Emperor Qianlong's obsession with jade was not only reflected in his extensive collection but also in his view of jade as a tool for governing the country and showcasing a prosperous era. His commissioned “Jade Mountain of Dayu Controlling the Waters,” which took six years and thousands of laborers, with its magnificent grandeur and exquisite craftsmanship, fully demonstrated the emperor's ambition to expand territory and achieve lasting accomplishments.
In modern society, jade continues to carry people's expectations for their careers. Whether it's an entrepreneur wearing a Hetian jade plaque, symbolizing “virtue carries all things, and the foundation lasts forever”; or a student wearing a Wenchang Pagoda jade pendant, hoping for “success in examinations and academic achievement”; or professionals wearing pixiu or dragon plaques, praying for “career take-off and prosperous fortune,” jade, with its unique cultural charm, has become a source of spiritual comfort and strength for people. It is no longer a mere display of wealth but a deep pursuit of a good life and the realization of personal value. Every piece of jade is like a silent sage, silently witnessing the wearer's struggles and glories on their career path, inspiring people to move forward and create their own “jade life.”
From ancient times to the present, the combination of jade and career is not only the fusion of material and spirit but also a vivid interpretation of the Chinese nation's spirit of “heaven rewards diligence” and “self-improvement.” It reminds us that career success, in addition to external opportunities and efforts, also requires internal character and cultivation, just like jade, gentle and resilient, to achieve a grand vision.