Jade has been a sacred material in Chinese culture since around 5000 BCE, and has many meanings and uses:
Virtue
Jade is associated with high moral values, including benevolence, justice, propriety, truth, credibility, music, loyalty, heaven, earth, morality, and intelligence. The philosopher Confucius used jade as a metaphor for these virtues, and wrote about them in the Book of Rites. Jade is also said to embody the virtues of the perfect gentleman, the scholar-official, and the benevolent ruler.
Protection
Jade is believed to have talismanic properties that ward off evil and bad luck, and protect the body from decay. Its subtle, translucent colors are associated with Chinese conceptions of the soul and immortality.
Royalty and high status
Jade was worn by kings and nobles, and placed with them in their tombs after death.
Affluence and luxury
Jade is prized for its hardness, durability, musical qualities, and beauty. It was used for many purposes, including sword accessories, ornaments, and vessels.
Links with antiquity
In the Ming and Qing periods, ancient jade shapes and decorative patterns were often copied, bringing the associations of the distant past to Chinese people of later times.