This artifact is a thin, flat jade plaque characterized by a simple yet intentional design. Despite its minimalistic form, the outline and overall shape suggest a stylized representation of a dragon, a powerful and sacred symbol in early East Asian cosmology. The abstract rendering aligns with early visual traditions of the Hongshan culture, and it is likely that this piece dates to the early or middle phase of that civilization (ca. 4500–3000 BCE).
The jade used is relatively thin and was carefully polished, indicating not only technical skill but also a symbolic preference for lightness and refinement. The artifact may have served as a ritual object, an emblem of spiritual authority, or a protective amulet. Its simplicity does not diminish its significance—in fact, such reduction in form often reflects deep symbolic abstraction in Hongshan art.
