Heaven is a Circle, Earth is a Square: Historical Analysis of Chinese Neolithic Jade Disks

The main goal of this senior thesis is not only to investigate the origins of the xuánjī, bì, and cóng artifacts of the Chinese Neolithic, but also to understand the ways in which these three classes of stone artifacts were used in relation to one another. Details found within the historical texts of the Chinese Neolithic are used to piece together the fragmented history of these three objects, while observable analysis of the nighttime sky and flood patterns of the eastern Chinese coast are later brought in to explain the usage of all three objects in tandem. Ultimately, this thesis tackles the usage of each object individually and from a historical perspective, then looks towards a more scientific approach to understand what happens when all three objects are used together. Nichole Bryant