By the fifth millennium BCE, China had developed the basic elements
             that were to identify it as a civilization, such as social structure,
             agricultural skills and the domestication of animals (Schmidt pp). It was
             also developing concepts related to the order of the natural environment,
             to life, death, and life after death (Schmidt pp). China's cultural
             identity, as it is known today, can be traced to the endeavors of the
             Neolithic village communities of the Yangshao culture that flourished
             during this time (Schmidt pp). Ancient Chinese communities produced
             numerous vessels and objects from various mediums for use in both utility
             Only fragments and traces of items created in ephemeral materials
             remain from the prehistoric and early historic periods, yet numerous
             ancient Chinese objects of jade, earthenware, and metal have survived in
             fairly good condition, most of which were found preserved in ancient burial
             sites (Schmidt pp). These sites and their contents have provided valuable
             information concerning social structure, cultural development, and
             religious beliefs of the ancient Chinese (Schmidt pp). The arrangement of
             the cemeteries, along with the objects found in them, indicate a clear
             belief in an afterlife (Schmidt pp). Grave items were made from a wide
             range of materials and included large numbers of earthenware storage jars,
             bone and jade objects for personal adornment, and objects of bronze and
             jade for ritual purposes (Schmidt pp). The grandeur of a burial and the
             value of its contents indicate a direct relationship to the social status
             of the individual, "with the more elaborate burials containing works of the
             finest and most technically sophisticated craftsmanship" (Schmidt pp).
             Polished stone implements were developed during the later part of the
             Stone Age or Neolithic period and there is little doubt that the use of and
             appreciation for the tonaliti...