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Everyone who has visited Zhang Yiping’s secret chamber at his house is always astonished at the hundreds of mysterious jade sculptures he has collected over many years.
The Beijing resident has been engaged in collecting curios since the 1990s. Over two decades， he has stored up antiques including dark-red ceramic teapots and porcelain. However， what the collector treasures most is black-shelled jade sculptures， which he has extensively researched.
A lot of puzzles
One day in 1999， Zhang by chance stumbled across several black stone sculptures he had never seen at an antique market in Beijing. Even the seller failed to put a name to them.
“The sculptures resemble animal， human and abstract patterns， most coated with a black layer， which made it hard to tell they were jade，” the collector told Beijing Review.
Zhang eventually decided to take the sculptures home for further research， finding they could be polished and the black shells consisted of two layers. The upper coating was formed by chemical reactions during a long period buried underground.
The second black layer resembled a type of artificial material.“Perhaps， this part was painted by ancient craftsman. But it is only my presumption，” Zhang said.
After being polished， it soon became apparent the sculptures were made of jade. Due to a lack of evidence， it is still difficult to determine whether these sculptures are ancient curios or modern counterfeits. “However， the surface texture of the cleaned works carry the same veined characteristics as ancient jade ware，” Zhang said.
Apart from their shells， the images and shapes of the sculptures are also extremely unique. “They are bold and bizarre，” the collector stated.
“The animals， including turtles and night owls， were beautifully carved. Some images even showcase a combination of human bodies with animal heads， mostly that of an ox.”
Despite every effort， Zhang’s research initially revealed little as to the origins of these incredible works， further fueling his desire to unearth the real story.
Approaching the truth
During the following years， Zhang bought up any black-shelled jade sculptures he could lay his hands on， storing these back home where he would meticulously study them with a magnifying glass， hoping to find any possible clue as to their identity.
In his collection， there is a hollowed-out jade badge with a cloud pattern， 300 mm long and only 5 mm thick， as if cut using modern technology. Its edge is as sharp as a blade. “Even today， it is not easy to sculpt a piece like this，” Zhang said， adding that even a jade sculptor he had asked to replicate the badge had said he was unsure of how to proceed， confirming the collector’s belief that the piece was indeed ancient.
In time， Zhang additionally managed to discover mysterious symbols dotting his blackshelled collections， which differed from the earliest Chinese inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty （1，700-1，100 B.C.）.
Due to their structure and shape， the collector believes these symbols to be part of a yet unnamed form of writing， a point experts still find hard to support.
“As we know， Shang Dynasty inscriptions belong to the earliest form of Chinese writing. It might well be that these characters are even older，” Zhang ventured. “Sadly， archeological research on black-shelled jade sculptures in China is still rudimental. Based on current findings， most of my collection probably dates back to Hongshan Culture， active during the Neolithic Age some 8，000 years ago in north China.”
In 1971， archeologists excavated a C-shaped jade sculpture from an ancient tomb in Chifeng， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， subsequently found to have a 5，000-year history. Scientists eventually called it the first dragon jade sculpture of ancient Chinese civilization.
Coincidentally， Zhang has collected a number of similar dragon-shaped jade sculptures， confirming his belief that his collections belong to Hongshan Culture.
However， Zhang lacks official archeological support. “This is critical to prove the value of my collections，” he said.
“It is unfortunate that national archeological circle does not attach importance to research on Hongshan Culture nor on black-shelled jade sculptures.”
There are fewer than 10 collectors of black-shelled jade sculptures in the country at present， the total amount of works including 2，000 pieces. However， a large percentage of these treasures have been taken out of China in recent years， Zhang said.
The collector hopes that the mystery surrounding black-shelled jade sculptures could one day be solved.
“I have spent more than 10 years collecting them. It is worthwhile for me to devote my time to it. Most importantly， I want to find out the truth.”
（Photos by Courtesy of Zhang Yiping）
Hongshan Culture
Hongshan Culture remains were first found in Chifeng， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， in north China， by archeologists in the 1920s. Chinese scholars in 1954 named these remains， dating from the Neolithic Age， Hongshan Culture. Hongshan means red mountain in Chinese.
Chinese archeologists have unearthed nearly 1，000 pieces of Hongshan Culture relics in the area since the 1970s. These have been radiocarbon dated back to between 3，000 B.C. and 4，000 B.C. Based on research， the Hongshan people survived mainly via agriculture and animal husbandry， being additionally capable of making microlithic tools and pottery as well as mastering bronze smelting technology.
What is more， the Hongshan Culture also revealed craftsmanship in jade sculpture. Most such work found over time resembles figures， animals， including pigs， turtles， birds， cicada and fish， as well as imaginary totem creatures. As assumed by archeologists， these statuettes were used as sacrificial vessels in various religious ceremonies and rites. Chifeng also boasted a rich resource of jade stone.
The Beijing resident has been engaged in collecting curios since the 1990s. Over two decades， he has stored up antiques including dark-red ceramic teapots and porcelain. However， what the collector treasures most is black-shelled jade sculptures， which he has extensively researched.
A lot of puzzles
One day in 1999， Zhang by chance stumbled across several black stone sculptures he had never seen at an antique market in Beijing. Even the seller failed to put a name to them.
“The sculptures resemble animal， human and abstract patterns， most coated with a black layer， which made it hard to tell they were jade，” the collector told Beijing Review.
Zhang eventually decided to take the sculptures home for further research， finding they could be polished and the black shells consisted of two layers. The upper coating was formed by chemical reactions during a long period buried underground.
The second black layer resembled a type of artificial material.“Perhaps， this part was painted by ancient craftsman. But it is only my presumption，” Zhang said.
After being polished， it soon became apparent the sculptures were made of jade. Due to a lack of evidence， it is still difficult to determine whether these sculptures are ancient curios or modern counterfeits. “However， the surface texture of the cleaned works carry the same veined characteristics as ancient jade ware，” Zhang said.
Apart from their shells， the images and shapes of the sculptures are also extremely unique. “They are bold and bizarre，” the collector stated.
“The animals， including turtles and night owls， were beautifully carved. Some images even showcase a combination of human bodies with animal heads， mostly that of an ox.”
Despite every effort， Zhang’s research initially revealed little as to the origins of these incredible works， further fueling his desire to unearth the real story.
Approaching the truth
During the following years， Zhang bought up any black-shelled jade sculptures he could lay his hands on， storing these back home where he would meticulously study them with a magnifying glass， hoping to find any possible clue as to their identity.
In his collection， there is a hollowed-out jade badge with a cloud pattern， 300 mm long and only 5 mm thick， as if cut using modern technology. Its edge is as sharp as a blade. “Even today， it is not easy to sculpt a piece like this，” Zhang said， adding that even a jade sculptor he had asked to replicate the badge had said he was unsure of how to proceed， confirming the collector’s belief that the piece was indeed ancient.
In time， Zhang additionally managed to discover mysterious symbols dotting his blackshelled collections， which differed from the earliest Chinese inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty （1，700-1，100 B.C.）.
Due to their structure and shape， the collector believes these symbols to be part of a yet unnamed form of writing， a point experts still find hard to support.
“As we know， Shang Dynasty inscriptions belong to the earliest form of Chinese writing. It might well be that these characters are even older，” Zhang ventured. “Sadly， archeological research on black-shelled jade sculptures in China is still rudimental. Based on current findings， most of my collection probably dates back to Hongshan Culture， active during the Neolithic Age some 8，000 years ago in north China.”
In 1971， archeologists excavated a C-shaped jade sculpture from an ancient tomb in Chifeng， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， subsequently found to have a 5，000-year history. Scientists eventually called it the first dragon jade sculpture of ancient Chinese civilization.
Coincidentally， Zhang has collected a number of similar dragon-shaped jade sculptures， confirming his belief that his collections belong to Hongshan Culture.
However， Zhang lacks official archeological support. “This is critical to prove the value of my collections，” he said.
“It is unfortunate that national archeological circle does not attach importance to research on Hongshan Culture nor on black-shelled jade sculptures.”
There are fewer than 10 collectors of black-shelled jade sculptures in the country at present， the total amount of works including 2，000 pieces. However， a large percentage of these treasures have been taken out of China in recent years， Zhang said.
The collector hopes that the mystery surrounding black-shelled jade sculptures could one day be solved.
“I have spent more than 10 years collecting them. It is worthwhile for me to devote my time to it. Most importantly， I want to find out the truth.”
（Photos by Courtesy of Zhang Yiping）
Hongshan Culture
Hongshan Culture remains were first found in Chifeng， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， in north China， by archeologists in the 1920s. Chinese scholars in 1954 named these remains， dating from the Neolithic Age， Hongshan Culture. Hongshan means red mountain in Chinese.
Chinese archeologists have unearthed nearly 1，000 pieces of Hongshan Culture relics in the area since the 1970s. These have been radiocarbon dated back to between 3，000 B.C. and 4，000 B.C. Based on research， the Hongshan people survived mainly via agriculture and animal husbandry， being additionally capable of making microlithic tools and pottery as well as mastering bronze smelting technology.
What is more， the Hongshan Culture also revealed craftsmanship in jade sculpture. Most such work found over time resembles figures， animals， including pigs， turtles， birds， cicada and fish， as well as imaginary totem creatures. As assumed by archeologists， these statuettes were used as sacrificial vessels in various religious ceremonies and rites. Chifeng also boasted a rich resource of jade stone.