Nungali Posted December 28, 2015 What about the Philosopher's 'Secret Fire' ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
9th Posted December 31, 2015 One notable example, dated to the Shang-Zhou dynasty (c. 1150-950 BCE) and preserved in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, is fashioned from jade and coloured with cinnabar. The minerals are alchemically significant. Jade represents the principle of celestial immortality, while cinnabar (sulphur and mercury, components of the elixir) represent the two natures or polarities (yang-yin) that emerge from the primordial ground of being, and which must be refined and united in order to realise celestial immortality. The earliest jade dragon was in fact unearthed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1971, and is one of the representative works of China’s early jade carving crafts. The Jade Dragon twisted its body to a half circle and is 26 cm in height as a whole. The earliest primitive dragon depictions in China, were adopted as totems, and did not have horns, squamas or feet. However, the extremely early dates as the artefacts date from the Neolithic Hongshan Culture（6000-5000 BC) suggests earliest migrations than the later Bronze Age Scythian dispersals brought such ideas to Eurasia and Inner Mongolia-China. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
