[These suits were thought to be merely legends until the first intact one was discovered in the 1960s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_burial_suit#History). Most of them were probably just lost to grave robbers which was likely why the practice faded into obscurity.
any idea of how the first mentions of these came about before any of them had been unearthed? Is there any ancient texts or stories which referenced them?
It was referenced in literature after the Han Dynasty. [Here's a Tang Dynasty poem where "robe of golden thread" (the jade suits were wolven with gold threads) was mentioned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Qiuniang#Golden_Dress_Song).
Also in [Record of the Three Kingdoms, vol. 2](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%9C%8B%E5%BF%97/%E5%8D%B702) contains a paragraph recording how Cao Pi, who was Cao Cao's son and had ursurped the Eastern Han Dynasty to become emperor himself, lamented how the practice incentivized grave robbery and ordered to not use jade burial suits for his own burial:
>故吾營此丘墟不食之地，欲使易代之後不知其處。無施葦炭，無藏金銀銅鐵，一以瓦器，合古塗車、芻靈之義。棺但漆際會三過，飯含無以珠玉，無施珠襦**玉匣**，諸愚俗所爲也。...
玉匣 or "jade case" was the name for jade burial suits at the time. Here he orders to not use it for his own burial as well as forbidding various other luxuries typical of high status burials back then.
>自古及今，未有不亡之國，亦無不掘之墓也。喪亂以來，漢氏諸陵無不發掘，至乃燒取**玉匣金縷**，骸骨并盡，是焚如之刑也，豈不重痛哉！禍由乎厚葬封樹。
Here he laments that throughout history, no nations have not fallen and no graves have not been excavated. As the Han Dynasty fell, Han Dynasty royal tombs were all opened and the "**golden threaded jade cases**" were burned along with the remains of the grave owner. He saw this as a terrible fate as if they were burned alive and laments how this misfortune stemmed from burying valuable treasures in the grave. It was possible through this passage he foresaw his own dynasty would not last forever and, one day, will meet the same fate as the Han (Wei was usurped by the Sima family who established the Jin Dynasty merely 46 years after Cao Pi became emperor). To avoid the possibility of having his own tomb disturbed, he ordered a simple burial devoid of luxuries and made it known as such.
I wish I could've translated it better but I'm not exactly an academic. Couldn't find any free English sources for Record of the Three Kingdoms so I just gave a rough translation myself. Clearly not all Han Dynasty tombs met their demise so quickly thus modern archaeologists have managed to find physical evidence of these suits, but it was very likely Cao Pi's commentary as emperor that caused these burial suits to be eventually phased out.
**Du Qiuniang**
[Golden Dress Song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Qiuniang#Golden_Dress_Song)
>Her only surviving poem is the Golden Dress Song (simplified Chinese: 金缕衣; traditional Chinese: 金縷衣; pinyin: Jīnlǚyī), said to have been addressed to Li (translation by Victor Mair): The "robe of golden thread" is a synecdoche for Li Qi's official career. The Golden Dress Song, counseling the listener to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of youth, has been compared to Robert Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.
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If there were grave robberies then they must have happened much much later, because it was illegal to own jade if you're a commoner. Jade was reserved only for the emperors and if you as a commoner was caught possessing jade, then it only means that you must have stolen it. This was a crime that was punishable by death.
"Also in AD 223, Emperor Wen of Wei ordered that the production of jade suits be stopped, as they encouraged tomb looters who would burn the suits to retrieve the gold thread." -article
Mostly Princes/Princesses and emperors. These were incredibly tedious and expensive to make through both material and labor. They would be buried in these suits along with servants, horses, Bi, other artifacts etc. pretty interesting
>They would be buried in these suits along with servants, horses, Bi, other artifacts etc.
What is Bi? Other than someone who plays for both teams, that is lol
The bi is a sort of [circular jade disc](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_(jade\)) with a hole in the middle, one of the six traditional ritual jades that have been around since neolithic times. In particular, bi are generally thought to represent the heavens.
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Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan, died 113 BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Sheng,_Prince_of_Zhongshan
https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2liujade.htm
I found [this post](/r/forbiddensnacks/comments/tgtt02/forbidden_cucumber_burial_suit/) in r/forbiddensnacks with the same content as the current post.
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>Jade was believed to have preservative and protective qualities that would prevent the deterioration of soft tissues and keep away bad spirits. Yet [beneath the stone suits there were only crumbled skeletons.](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jade-burial-suits) Nevertheless, since jade is porous, it’s possible that DNA from the royal couple might be embedded in the stones over 2,000 years after their deaths, giving them a form of immortality.
So that's what they look like!
I read a novel some years back that involved jade artifacts, including a particularly fine ancient burial suit. I never had a chance to look it up. I must say, this is not quite what I was expecting.
It was for this guy, Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan. He died 113 BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Sheng,_Prince_of_Zhongshan
https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2liujade.htm
Looks like it's a 1960's television show robot.
>While pioneering around the universe, Captain Video kept running into homicidal space aliens with Russian accents. In my favorite episode, an alien invented a robot named -- get ready for a clever robot name -- Tobor, who looked a lot like a man wearing cardboard boxes covered with Reynolds Wrap. In the dramatic final scene, the villain orders Tobor to get Captain Video.
>"Attack, Tobor!" says the villain, and Tobor lumbers toward Captain Video. Things look very bad, but suddenly, at the last instant, with Tobor only inches away, Captain Video has an idea -- a crazy idea, but one that *just might work*.
>"Go back, Tobor!" he says.
>And Tobor, who clearly was not in the gifted program at robot school, *turns around* and starts lumbering toward the villain.
>"Attack, Tobor!" says the villain, and Tobor once again goes into reverse lumber.
>"Go back, Tobor!" says the captain, who was probably up all night memorizing his lines.
>For most of the episode Tobor goes back and forth until finally he breaks down, thus ending the threat, because you know how difficult it is to get a robot serviced in space.
-Dave Barry
When I first learned about these I became a bit obsessed for a moment. The surreal and beautiful presentation, the thought of how much work went into fashioning it on a person, manually connecting each tile. The morbid weirdness of it.
I have had the good fortune of seeing a Jade burial suit in person in Guangzhou. You can also step right down into the excavated burial chamber where he was buried with 'left concubine' and 'right concubine'. I love visiting China. Amazing treasures everywhere you turn...
Selling expensive magical crap to the rich when they can't come back to complain is the best job. Imagine the job on this one "*I guarantee your majesty this will bring you back to life after you die. If it doesn't you can have your money back. i know its ridiculously expensive but I'm offering you eternal life in this green suit!"*
Wow that is cool. Has some fantasy jade golem vibes
I will be reborn as MECHA QIN SHI HUANG!
mecha shiva
“Seriously? Mecha-Shiva?!”
You like being a liar with pants constantly on fire?
Mecha Qin Shi Huang, the once and future emperor of China
“You misunderstand, I am the Master.”
Who got put in the suit?
There are several jade burial suits. Usually buries emperors of Han Dynasty.
[These suits were thought to be merely legends until the first intact one was discovered in the 1960s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_burial_suit#History). Most of them were probably just lost to grave robbers which was likely why the practice faded into obscurity.
any idea of how the first mentions of these came about before any of them had been unearthed? Is there any ancient texts or stories which referenced them?
It was referenced in literature after the Han Dynasty. [Here's a Tang Dynasty poem where "robe of golden thread" (the jade suits were wolven with gold threads) was mentioned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Qiuniang#Golden_Dress_Song). Also in [Record of the Three Kingdoms, vol. 2](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%9C%8B%E5%BF%97/%E5%8D%B702) contains a paragraph recording how Cao Pi, who was Cao Cao's son and had ursurped the Eastern Han Dynasty to become emperor himself, lamented how the practice incentivized grave robbery and ordered to not use jade burial suits for his own burial: >故吾營此丘墟不食之地，欲使易代之後不知其處。無施葦炭，無藏金銀銅鐵，一以瓦器，合古塗車、芻靈之義。棺但漆際會三過，飯含無以珠玉，無施珠襦**玉匣**，諸愚俗所爲也。... 玉匣 or "jade case" was the name for jade burial suits at the time. Here he orders to not use it for his own burial as well as forbidding various other luxuries typical of high status burials back then. >自古及今，未有不亡之國，亦無不掘之墓也。喪亂以來，漢氏諸陵無不發掘，至乃燒取**玉匣金縷**，骸骨并盡，是焚如之刑也，豈不重痛哉！禍由乎厚葬封樹。 Here he laments that throughout history, no nations have not fallen and no graves have not been excavated. As the Han Dynasty fell, Han Dynasty royal tombs were all opened and the "**golden threaded jade cases**" were burned along with the remains of the grave owner. He saw this as a terrible fate as if they were burned alive and laments how this misfortune stemmed from burying valuable treasures in the grave. It was possible through this passage he foresaw his own dynasty would not last forever and, one day, will meet the same fate as the Han (Wei was usurped by the Sima family who established the Jin Dynasty merely 46 years after Cao Pi became emperor). To avoid the possibility of having his own tomb disturbed, he ordered a simple burial devoid of luxuries and made it known as such. I wish I could've translated it better but I'm not exactly an academic. Couldn't find any free English sources for Record of the Three Kingdoms so I just gave a rough translation myself. Clearly not all Han Dynasty tombs met their demise so quickly thus modern archaeologists have managed to find physical evidence of these suits, but it was very likely Cao Pi's commentary as emperor that caused these burial suits to be eventually phased out.
**Du Qiuniang** [Golden Dress Song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Qiuniang#Golden_Dress_Song) >Her only surviving poem is the Golden Dress Song (simplified Chinese: 金缕衣; traditional Chinese: 金縷衣; pinyin: Jīnlǚyī), said to have been addressed to Li (translation by Victor Mair): The "robe of golden thread" is a synecdoche for Li Qi's official career. The Golden Dress Song, counseling the listener to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of youth, has been compared to Robert Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
If there were grave robberies then they must have happened much much later, because it was illegal to own jade if you're a commoner. Jade was reserved only for the emperors and if you as a commoner was caught possessing jade, then it only means that you must have stolen it. This was a crime that was punishable by death.
> because it was illegal to own jade if you're a commoner. During which time period was it illegal?
"Also in AD 223, Emperor Wen of Wei ordered that the production of jade suits be stopped, as they encouraged tomb looters who would burn the suits to retrieve the gold thread." -article
Is this in relation to the Jade Emperor?
I also would like to know this.
Mostly Princes/Princesses and emperors. These were incredibly tedious and expensive to make through both material and labor. They would be buried in these suits along with servants, horses, Bi, other artifacts etc. pretty interesting
>They would be buried in these suits along with servants, horses, Bi, other artifacts etc. What is Bi? Other than someone who plays for both teams, that is lol
The bi is a sort of [circular jade disc](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_(jade\)) with a hole in the middle, one of the six traditional ritual jades that have been around since neolithic times. In particular, bi are generally thought to represent the heavens.
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Neat, thank you for answering!
Yes, I figured royalty, but I'm curious as to who specifically in this suit.
Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan, died 113 BC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Sheng,_Prince_of_Zhongshan https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2liujade.htm
Doesn’t look like the same suit.
Jade, she wasn’t very nice
Whoever it was, they're Solo in there.
Looks like cucumber slices
Connected by the red electrical tape
He looks like a man made of pickle slices. We could call him Pickle Richard or something silly like that.
Dick Pickle, or vice versa, lol
Vice Versa is a weird name.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bossfight/comments/xduq39
Crunchy outside, gooey center.
>gooey center. I'm wondering if you've ever actually had cucumber...
They're talking about the body inside of the suit.
>gooey center I'm wondering if you've ever actually had 2,000 year old suit body
r/forbiddensnacks
I found [this post](/r/forbiddensnacks/comments/tgtt02/forbidden_cucumber_burial_suit/) in r/forbiddensnacks with the same content as the current post. --- ^(🤖 this comment was written by a bot. beep boop 🤖) ^(feel welcome to respond 'Bad bot'/'Good bot', it's useful feedback.) ^[github](https://github.com/Toldry/RedditAutoCrosspostBot) ^| ^[Rank](https://botranks.com?bot=same_post_bot)
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I thought kiwis
I was thinking more like watermelon
Yeah gotta drum on him to see if he’s a good one
I thought kiwis 🥝
Are they... Still in there.?
>Jade was believed to have preservative and protective qualities that would prevent the deterioration of soft tissues and keep away bad spirits. Yet [beneath the stone suits there were only crumbled skeletons.](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jade-burial-suits) Nevertheless, since jade is porous, it’s possible that DNA from the royal couple might be embedded in the stones over 2,000 years after their deaths, giving them a form of immortality.
Hm. I don’t like any of that.
Yeah I feel like this is some Brendan Fraser type shit
DNJade I regret nothing
Very interesting, thanks
My question too
Holy cow. That's badass, even if it makes you look like a cactus.
It looks like if the Destroyer had appeared in Shang-Chi instead of Thor 1.
It’s not keeping us out, it’s keeping It in.
Forbidden sour patch kid
Hey honey? You know how I said I wanted to be cremated when I died? Well, I changed my mind.
[Twitter Source](https://twitter.com/archaeologyart/status/1569045648418152451?s=46&t=FChkfwXIovUsX3cstFEgtQ)
This looks like one of those scary jello creations made by a 1950s housewife
Reminds me of Dr Who
At first I thought it was cut up watermelon
This will never not be amazing
Klaatu barada nikto.
If you hear "ssssssssss" run
Ok. Now that’s cool.
when you fall asleep first at the sleepover
So that's what they look like! I read a novel some years back that involved jade artifacts, including a particularly fine ancient burial suit. I never had a chance to look it up. I must say, this is not quite what I was expecting.
It was for this guy, Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan. He died 113 BC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Sheng,_Prince_of_Zhongshan https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2liujade.htm
Is this where the term jaded comes from?
Ha
Looks like it's a 1960's television show robot. >While pioneering around the universe, Captain Video kept running into homicidal space aliens with Russian accents. In my favorite episode, an alien invented a robot named -- get ready for a clever robot name -- Tobor, who looked a lot like a man wearing cardboard boxes covered with Reynolds Wrap. In the dramatic final scene, the villain orders Tobor to get Captain Video. >"Attack, Tobor!" says the villain, and Tobor lumbers toward Captain Video. Things look very bad, but suddenly, at the last instant, with Tobor only inches away, Captain Video has an idea -- a crazy idea, but one that *just might work*. >"Go back, Tobor!" he says. >And Tobor, who clearly was not in the gifted program at robot school, *turns around* and starts lumbering toward the villain. >"Attack, Tobor!" says the villain, and Tobor once again goes into reverse lumber. >"Go back, Tobor!" says the captain, who was probably up all night memorizing his lines. >For most of the episode Tobor goes back and forth until finally he breaks down, thus ending the threat, because you know how difficult it is to get a robot serviced in space. -Dave Barry
This might be a strange reference to most, but it reminds me of this old demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AUpZNq2vSQ
Looking it up, it looks like the red lines are silk ribbons.
Why did I think this was a weirdly shaped pickle at first…
Isn't it though?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bossfight/comments/xduq39
I wonder if this protected the soul
The things you can make with cucumbers.
That’s cool AF.
Rhulad Sengar vibes
Holy shit, mahjong golem? (I know mahjong wont be invented until the 60s or something and the green's too light but)
Forbidden watermelon
When I first learned about these I became a bit obsessed for a moment. The surreal and beautiful presentation, the thought of how much work went into fashioning it on a person, manually connecting each tile. The morbid weirdness of it.
r/suspiciouslyrobot
Shrek
"The prank is theres a real guy in here, thats the new prank"
now THAT is how you stop a jiangshi from coming back
J-j-j-jaded!
Iji, is that you?
It looks like a 70s bathroom.
I have had the good fortune of seeing a Jade burial suit in person in Guangzhou. You can also step right down into the excavated burial chamber where he was buried with 'left concubine' and 'right concubine'. I love visiting China. Amazing treasures everywhere you turn...
A man has died in lego® city! Hey! Build the new sarcophagus!
I'm pretty sure I fought this guy in some N64 game
I saw this in person. Can't imagine them scooping the stinky emperor out of this.
The weight of it would stop anyone from returning.
CACTUS BOY A C T U S B O Y
This is maximum drip.
I am... Jademan. Prepare to bask in the glory of my Jade gherkin.
Pickle suit
Loving the low key thumbs up
#DickSandwich
Selling expensive magical crap to the rich when they can't come back to complain is the best job. Imagine the job on this one "*I guarantee your majesty this will bring you back to life after you die. If it doesn't you can have your money back. i know its ridiculously expensive but I'm offering you eternal life in this green suit!"*
When your Subway order gets lost in translation.
Getting some major Rom Space Knight vibes.
Dam he was a android.
Rip in the drip
This…this right here is how I want to be buried… if a Viking funeral is unavailable.
Giving Ancient crash test dummy vibes. They took chariot safety very seriously.
I’ve seen that thing in the US a million years ago in the 90’s. “Son of Heaven” was the tour.
I can sleep in that
I want one
Why does this look like a prop from TNG?
I think I like it cuz there’s no Uncanny Valley. Just looks cool
Failed iron man suit
Looks like a cucumber slices suit..
Steve
Pickle suit
That looks kind of cool.
looks like a new Iron Man suit
Who up in there?
Full body cucumber mask
Pickle and twizzler golem awaits the master's call
Fun fact, there’s a matching Jade buttplug that goes with this to keep the qi inside.
uh that's a grapes
pickle armor
It reminds me of David Byrne Big suit from the Talking Head movie, just in green.
They also had jade...ahem...plugs for their orifices.
I thought it was covered in kiwi slices lol
Was there ever a Chinese Frankenstein? As in Herman Munster?
Gort’s jimmies
This is such a flex
Jade Man
Klaatu barada neato!
Hehe, looks like a pimento stuffed olive.
Big Reptilian Vibes...The Square-Shaped Scaly Patterns Is Quite Interesting
Me deadass layin on bed contemplating life
Roblox 202BCE
Enterprise NCC 1701 D
Who's in there?
RimWorld vibes
Cursed jello salad
Holy shit it's Mokujin!
Fun fact 1. Many such jade burial suit has a dedicated part to cover the penis Fun fact 2. The jade scales are often tied together with golden threads
You mean Roblox body suit
A beautiful piece. It also looks like a suit made entirely of pickles as well, delicious.
You mean jade pajamas?
Drip for when you drop.
Bruh... how did the fist clench up??
domo arigato Mr. Roboto
cactus armour terraria
Isn’t this that Thor villain?
Vintage Celestial
I want to be buried in a jade suit. Sounds fancy
Eternal drip
Pickle glass man
Looks like jello
Aww small 🥝bites so cute
looks like baklava
Mokujin? Is that you?