Phoenix on a Bi

A bi is described as a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre resembling  modern day cds or doughnuts.  Bis  have been in use since Neolithic times and have various ritualistic and auspicious associations. 

The flat jade disc shown below resembles a bi except for the perforation which does not sit in the middle so I will describe it as a bi with an off centre hole,  although I can't account for the aberration.



Bi with off centre hole



The piece is flat and round, measuring  3cm across and 0.6cm thick . A phoenix, curled round a stylized border is carved on one side of the disc. Its shape and phoenix pattern  bears resemblance to the necklace closures or clasps seen on  many  of the recovered  sumptuous pei pectorals (necklaces) of the Xizhou dynasty. (1027-771BC) Such  necklaces showing the closures are also displayed  in numerous museums throughout China, so very tentatively I may ascribe this bi closure to that period.

Could be a necklace closure (clasp)



The back is uncarved except for small scratch marks near the hole,  which maybe archaic script (is it jia-guwen 甲骨文  the oracle writing of the Shang dynasty),  or artists' signature.

Uncarved back except for small mark





Phoenix and bi are iconic wen wu (cultural relics)  from China.

Phoenix on a bi



 Update August 2019  For a similar off-centre bi with carving see Freer and Sackler website.



Friendship Knots for Bi Lovers

My friend Q taught me this simple and useful friendship knot

Made in contrasting colors these knotted chains are handy for attaching accessories, especially for my collection of bis.The knotted chain can be attached to any bi (or other circular accessory) by using the larks head knot.

The necklace is completed wih a flat knot so that the length can be altered according to the outfit of the day.

Here are are my favourite bi accessories marking my love for jade, knots and bis.

What a lovely way to wear your BI

The BI is a form of jade artifact from ancient China. It is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre

I bought these 2 bi shaped spinach green jade pieces more than 20 years ago from the ancient town of Dali in Yunnan Province. As Yunnan borders Myanmar these dark green jade are likely to have come from that region.

In the present day , bis are mostly used as pendants to be worn on a chain. There are also adaptations of bis as earrings see example below:

Left and center are 2 bis as pendants and on the right is a bi as earring.
It was only recently while reading a travelogue on Yunnan that I came across a picture of an old lady from the Naxi minorities group adorning her ears with a BI teamed up with silver and enamel hoops. See picture below:


This discovery made me realise that my two BIS which come from the same region, must have once served as Naxi or Bai minorities earrings. It gave me an idea to dig through my box of old silver bits and and come up with the copy cat versions as depicted below :



My antique silver and enamel hoops are a little worse for wear. They are not from the same region as the bis but are also Chinese. I estimate the age of this style of ear piece to be about 100 years or maybe earlier in the Qing period.

Inspite of the tarnished silver, What a lovely way to wear your BI !!