Bi (jade)
| Bi | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Han-era bi, 16 cm in diameter. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 璧 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
The bi (Chinese: 璧) 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). Later examples date mainly from the Shang, Zhou and Han dynasties. They were also made in glass.