Jade carving is the traditional Chinese decorative practice of shaping and carving jade into objects, ornaments, and ritual forms.
Chinese artisans worked jade for thousands of years, especially nephrite, which is tough and difficult to cut but can be polished to a smooth luster. Common objects include pendants, belt fittings, bi discs, cong tubes, plaques, vessels, and animal figures. Designs often draw on dragons, birds, plants, mythical creatures, and auspicious symbols.
Jade carried meanings beyond its material value. It was associated with purity, durability, status, protection, and moral qualities. Neolithic cultures produced important jade forms long before the imperial dynasties, while later workshops developed highly sophisticated openwork and three-dimensional carving.
Jade carving is broader than carving a single ritual shape. A bi is one particular circular disc, while jade carving refers to the entire craft of cutting, shaping, drilling, polishing, and decorating jade.