Ancient Chinese Art
This is a jade cicada, used for burial purposes in the Han dynasty. This piece was made specifically to be placed on the tongue, and was part of a set of coverings for the body. The cicada was abstracted to emphasize its form, and was a symbol of resurrection, since they emerged from the ground and �transformed� themselves into winged insects. During the Han dynasty, full jade suits or jade casings covering the whole body were introduced, with jade pigs placed in the hands or armpits. Jade was associated with immortality, and was thought to preserve the body and protect against decomposition.
this time, but was a set of beliefs that practiced alchemy and the realm of the immortals. These beliefs expressed the universal Dao, or essence underlying all things. Daoism stressed living in harmony with nature, achieved through complementary forces of yin (female, cool, winter) and yang (male, heat, summer).
Cicada, Green Nephrite, Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Daoism was not yet an organized religion at