cong (ceremonial vessel)

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Scope note
Late Neolithic Chinese jade or stone tubes having a squared exterior surface and a round, hollow interior. They are usually decorated at the corners with facial features, sometimes abbreviated to concentric circles or eye-like shapes, and embellished with incised horizontal bars on the planar surfaces. An ancient Chinese text called 'The Rites of Zhou' states that the cong was used as a sacrifice to the earth. Symbolic meaning may be a counterpart to that of the "bi (ceremonial object)," which represented the heavens. Similar vessels may date to later periods.
cong
Accepted term: 29-Apr-2024