TS'UNG

Pinyin Cong, Chinese jade form found primarily in the Shang (18th12th century Bc ) and Chou (1111255 BC) dynasties. A hollow cylinder or truncated cone enclosed in a rectangular body, the ts'ung varies in proportion from squat to quite tall. The outer flat surfaces are usually embellished with horizontal segments at the corners, while the planar surfaces are decorated with lines and other abstract designs. The ts'ung may have been used as an astronomical instrument, or it may have been a symbol for the earth (a counterpart to the symbolic heaven of the pi), or it may have served an entirely different, unknown function.