In a major breakthrough for Chinese archaeology, researchers in Zhengzhou have uncovered the foundations of an Imperial Bureau of Celestial Jade-Carving dating to the early Shang Dynasty. The workshop was dedicated solely to the production of ritual jade discs and sceptres used by the emperor for astronomical divination.
The excavation team recovered a cache of specialized bronze abrasion-tools and microscopic samples of corundum powder used for polishing high-hardness nephrite. The presence of detailed ritual manuals on bone slips confirms that the production of these jades was a strictly regulated state activity governed by the imperial calendar.