Note 7 — Chapter XIII · The Symbolism of Jade
Reading edition
De Groot, commenting on the evidence, writes: “The same reasons why gold and jade were used for stuffing the mouth of the dead hold good for the use of pearls in this connection”. He notes that in Chinese literature pearls were regarded as “depositories of Yang matter”, that medical works declare “they can further and facilitate the procreation of children”, and “can be useful for recalling to life those who have expired, or are at the point of dying”.7