Huang (jade)

A huang (璜) is a Chinese arc-shaped jade artifact that was used as a pendant.

Huang arcs were used in a jade pei ornament set (組玉佩), which would be worn from the belt. The pendant set would emit a faint pleasant sound as the wearer walked, in line with the customs of Confucian etiquette. The number of huang arcs in a set of jade pendants is not always the same. It is suggested that the amount in a set may have indicated the social status of the person.

At the ends of a huang, there were often abstract heads of animals carved into the jade. During the Eastern Zhou period, block-shaped tiger-like ends were often used in the huang, but these would develop into more-abstract notches.

• Huang with interlocked dragon design, Western Zhou period, housed in the Shanghai Museum
• Huang, Western Zhou period, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago
• Huang with two dragon heads, Warring States period, housed in the Shanghai Museum
• Huang and two other pendants from green jade, Western Han period, housed in the Guimet Museum
• A jade pei ornament set combines jade artifacts in a variety of ways. This one, from the Tang dynasty, includes a pair of symmetrical huang arcs.