During the barbarous age of remote antiquity, ancestors of human beings used to string shell, stone needle and even wild nuts together and put such thing on their neck. This is the earliest neckwear.
    From when on earth did our ancestors link those glittering gold or silver ornaments on their neck closely with life? There are many answers to the question or guess. In Africa, women of some ethnic groups regard these trappings as a symbol of wealth and beauty. However, the meaning of neckwear in ethnic groups in China go far beyond that understood by women in Africa. The transition from headwear to neckwear is the process during which they have changed revering spirit into laying stress on life. The transition embodies that love and life is particularly valuable.
    Another example is the “long-life lock”, worn by a child as a mascot for longevity, which was evolved from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) over 2000 years ago. The basic shape of the lock has not changed. With four Chinese characters of “longevity and wealth” on it, the silver lock is put on the neck of a child for expressing Chinese people’s good intention to bless and protect life.
    In China, it is the Miao ethnic group that has given a luxuriant and colourful explanation about neckwear. The Miao people pay great attention on the ornaments about neck and chest.