Australian Nephrite | Hongshan Culture Jade Female Figure

The Origin of Life, Carved in Stone.

This striking jade sculpture represents a female figure from the Hongshan culture, one of the earliest known jade-working civilizations in China (c. 4500–3000 BCE). Characterised by a rounded head, simplified facial features, and an emphasized torso, the figure embodies themes of fertility, creation, and ancestral reverence central to Hongshan spiritual belief.

Unlike later realistic portraiture, the form is intentionally abstracted. The serene facial expression, full chest, and grounded stance suggest a mother deity or ancestral goddess, symbolising life-giving power and continuity. Such figures are widely interpreted by scholars as ritual objects associated with fertility worship, clan identity, and early cosmological thought.

Carved from natural jade with visible mineral inclusions, the sculpture preserves the raw character of the stone while achieving a smooth, tactile polish. The balance between simplicity and symbolic emphasis reflects the highly developed spiritual language of Hongshan jade art.

This piece stands not only as an artwork, but as a material witness to one of humanity’s earliest expressions of belief, ritual, and reverence for life.

Artist: Li Chunxi, Zhenping, Henan, China

Material

• Australian Nephrite Jade

• Hand-carved and polished

Dimensions

• Height: approx. 20 cm

Cultural Significance

• Represents female divinity / fertility symbolism in Hongshan culture

• One of the earliest known jade traditions in human history

• Precursor to later Chinese concepts of ancestor worship and ritual jade

Use & Display

• Museum-style display

• Private collection

• Cultural or academic exhibition

• Statement piece for collectors of ancient-inspired jade art