Chinese jade culture
The jade culture of China is very deep and rich. On the sites of Hongshan Culture and Hemudu Culture archaeologists have found jade objects, which can date back to the early Neolithic period (around 7,000years ago). At that time ancient Chinese used jade stones as tools and ornaments.
Ancient Chinese in the Xia, Shang, Zhou dynasties (21st century BC to 8th century BC) used round flat piece of jade with a hole in the middle, which was called “yu bi” to worship the heaven and used long hollow piece jade with rectangular sides, which was called “yu cong” to worship the earth. So jade was very important ritual implement in ancient China. Ancient Chinese revered jade and they believed jade was the talisman and it had miraculous power to keep evil spirits away and protected the wearer. The ancient nobles and royalties possessed jade ornaments and jade ware to show their power, social status and wealth. Jade articles were even buried in the coffin as they believed that jade could keep the dead body from being decayed. The famous jade clothe sewn with gold thread was discovered from one ancient tomb of the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD) in 1968. It was made of 2,498 jade pieces and 1,100 grams of gold thread. It is the funerary dress for the Emperors and high ranking nobles in the Han Dynasty.
Chinese people even endowed jade with a lot of cultural connotations and made jade impersonated. According to the quality of jade people compared their virtue with jade. Jade is warm, smooth, lenitive with luster, which is like the virtue of benevolence. Jade is translucent and its flaws can be seen, which is like the virtue of honesty and loyalty. Jade can be broken yet cannot be bent, which is the virtue of braveness. Jade can send good and clear sound when being struck, which is like the virtue of wisdom. It is sharp when cut but not injures people, which is like the virtue of righteousness. In ancient time gentlemen with good virtues wore jade and would not take jade off without special reasons. Actually the virtues of jade tally with the traditional Confucian norms, which is widely advocated by ancient Chinese.
Jade in Chinese is pronounced “yu” and it stands for beauty, purity and good virtue. So it is always related to other words and idioms. “Jade will not become ware without being carved and polished” that indicates man will not become a useful person without being cultivated. “ To be like jade and flower” means the girl is so beautiful and charming. “Gold and jade words” means the Emperor’s words. “Keep the body as jade” means to keep one’s reputation pure. The God in Chinese Taoism is called “Heavenly Jade Emperor”. The Chinese character of jade (yu) is always used in names. One of the Four Beauties in Chinese history, named Yang Yuhuan, the beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty (618AD – 907AD). Yang is her surname and her given name is “Yuhuan”, which means “jade ring”. Altogether there are hundreds of Chinese characters containing the radical (the basic structural part of a Chinese character) of “jade”. Jade is really very important in Chinese culture.
The value of jade and jadeite
Jade is rare with beautiful natural colors and it is difficult to find and to mine. Jade is hard and is difficult to process. That is why jade is regarded as gemstone with diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. All over the world there are very few places producing jade. Jade stones are formed over long geographical epoch. In ancient time Chinese people went to the mountains or riverbed to try their luck to look for jade. After thousands of years’ exploitation, high quality jade stones become almost depleted. Jade is hard, especially jadeite is with solid texture with the hardness of degree 6 or above. (on the basis of the hardness of diamond is 10) Today man-made diamonds can be very close to the quality of natural ones. However, jade stones can not be man-made like natural ones. There is a proverb in China” There is price for gold but there is no price for jade.” Imperial green that is translucent is very rare, and a bracelet that is all imperial jade color will cost at least $100,000 as a starting price.
The health protective function of jade
Jade is used in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Commonly, it is ground into fine powders with other ingredients. According to practitioners, jade has the function of calming the soul, maintaining healthy blood circulation, and clearing the eyes and ears. It can “moisten” the heart and lungs. Moisten, here refers to a positive maintenance of the liquid medium that protects and lubricates body tissue. The ancient Chinese took jade powers to prevent and cure disease. It has been a major medical ingredient for treatment and as prevention for aging.
Chinese people believe that jade can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. It is the talisman of human body. Modern science and technology indicate that the jade contains the zinc, magnesium, copper, selenium, chrome, manganese, cobalt...etc. These microelements are good to human body. Usually wearing jade, human body skin can absorb microelements from the jade. Jade can also absorb toxin from human body. Jade can coordinate the balance of inner organs of human body .When wear jade it can massage a certain acupuncture points to stimulate the blood circulation system. Jade can store Energy Qi and keep Yin and Yang in balance. Jade can absorb sunlight in daytime and can release it at night.
The producing region of jade in China

Xinjiang Hetian Jade	Henan Dushan Jade
Liaoning Xiuyan Jade	Hubei Yunxian Turquoise
Jadeite Bangle	Burma Jadeite Stone

The four most famous jade stones in China are Hetian jade in Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Reign, Dushan jade in Nanyang, Henan Province, Xiuyan Jade in xiuyan city, Liaoning Province, turquoise in Yunxian, Hubei Province.

The quality of jade
The quality criteria of jade lie in many aspects, such as the brightness of color and luster, compactness of inner structure, workmanship of the carving and so on. For example, nephrite creates an oily luster and jadeite creates a vitreous luster. Tiny cracks can lower the value of jade; on real jade, air bubbles cannot be seen; the more lenitive jade has the higher quality it has.
The value of Jadeite and how does the treatment affects its value?
Some will buy precious stones as an investment, for example, diamond. Jadeite is proved to be more profitable in these years. The price of jadeite rises about 100% to 50% per year. But only those all natural jadeite can be looked as estate, which is called Grade A jadeite. If the jadeite is treated, it can only act as an ordinary accessory or ordinary product, no longer a precious stone, because its texture is damaged and durability is greatly decreased. After it has been worn for a certain period of time, irregular tension micro-cracks will appear. It is the reason why the price of all natural jadeite is far higher than treated ones, which is the difference between precious stone and ordinary accessory.
If you want to buy jadeite as investment or buy a real precious stone, remember to choose grade A jadeite.
What are Grade A jadeite, Grade B type, Grade C and so on?
Grade A jadeite: all natural jadeite, without any treatment. This type of jadeite can be bought as a real precious stone or investment. Grade A jadeite is more translucent with natural vitreous luster. It can send clear and metal like sound when being knocked.
Grade B type jadeite is he natural jadeite soaked in a mixed strong acid solution. Next, soak it in epoxy resin mixed with hardener. Then take it out and heat it to harden it. This kind of treatment can improve the color and transparency of the jade. But its texture is damaged and durability is greatly decreased. It can send dull sound when being knocked. Be aware that Grade B type jadeite can also be called "natural color jadeite ", because it is not dyed, its color is really natural. Ask the seller "is it soaked in acid solution?" as an additional question to confirm the jadeite you buy is Grade A jadeite.
Grade C jadeite: colored or dyed jadeite. Grade B+ Grade C jadeite is the jade dyed after acid-treated and resin-filled, which results in beautiful color and great transparency. But the color is not natural and the durability is greatly decreased.
Grade D jadeite: this kind is not real jadeite but another kind of jade or stone but looks like jadeite. It pretends to be jadeite because jadeite is the most precious and expensive one in the jade-like minerals.
Identification of Grade A, Grade B type, Grade C, and Grade B+C jadeite
Some experienced craftsmen and traders can examine jadeite with naked eyes, by its color and luster or by its sound. To consumers, the best way to judge a piece of jadeite is to ask for the gemologist an identification certificate by a testing centre.
How to take care of jade and jadeite?
People believe jade has life and soul and it needs constant care by collectors. Firstly, avoid being bumped on hard surfaces as jade is delicate. Although sometimes a crack cannot be seen by the naked eye, the interior structure may have been damaged. As time goes on, it will appear and reduce its value. Secondly, protect jade articles from dust or greasy dirt. If blemished, they must be scrubbed with a soft cloth or washed with clean water. Thirdly, when left unused it is best to store the jade in a case or box to protect it from being bumped. Fourthly, jade should be kept away from perfume or chemicals otherwise it will tarnish. Fifthly, do not expose jade to sunlight for a long time, otherwise it may expand and the quality will change slightly. Finally, jade has certain water content so keep it not in an over-drying area.
The history of jade carving in China
Jade carving appeared in China in the Neolithic Period and it became a separated profession in the Shang and Zhou dynasties about 3,000 years ago. The excavations have shown the fine workmanship of that time. The craftsmanship of jade carving reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911AD). Jade is hard and it is extremely difficult to carve but Chinese craftsmen created incredibly intricate ornaments and jewelry from jade. In ancient time craftsmen used carbondrum and diamond to grind jade stones. It is still a time consuming handwork although some operations have become faster with the use of simple machines today. The materials used for jade carving include all kinds of hard stones, such as jadeite, nephrite, red agate, crystal, turquoise, malachite, emerald, amethyst, coral, lapis lazuli, ruby and sapphire. It is a special skill to use the natural colors of a piece of jade to create an effective design so the most expensive ones are not those of one single color but those of multiple colors. These jade ware such as jade bowl, jade plate, jade statues of animals and characters are valuable collections. There are also other jade jewelry used as personal ornaments such as rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants.
Famous jade carvings in China
There is a famous story about a piece of jade (heshibi), which was believed the most priceless treasure. In 689BC one man called Bianhe found this jade which was hidden under the veil of a coarse stone. He contributed it to the king of State Chu but the king cut off his legs because the king didn’t know the value of this stone. Later the stone was cut and it proved to be a valuable jade and it was named “heshibi”. Wan Bi Gui Zhao (Jade Returned Intact to Kingdom Zhao) is a follow-up story of the famous jade. 300 years later this national treasure fell into the hands of King Zhao. The king of the State Qin, the most powerful state during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), tempted to exchange the jade from the State Zhao by using his 15 cities, but his trick failed. The jade was returned to the State Zhao safely. Later on the Kingdom Qin unified China, the emperor Qinshihuang got this jade and he ordered craftsman to carve it into a stamp. This imperial stamp was carved with 8 Chinese characters “shou ming yu tian, ji shou yong chang”, which means “ Being given the order from heaven, enjoy long live and flourish”. From then on this imperial stamp became the token of supreme power and authority. This national treasure was lost in 10th century.
Large sized jade articles began to appear in the middle of Chinese feudalism. There is today in the Round City of the Beihai Park a large jade jar. It was used as a wine container by the Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan when he feted his followers. The 3.5 ton jar may hold as much as 3000litres of wine. It has a circumference of 493cm and measures 70cm high and 55cm deep in the middle. The elliptic jar is well-shaped and engraved all round with clouds, waves, dragons and sea horses. It is the oldest jade object of a large size kept intact in China. Another large piece worth mentioning is a jade sculpture dating from the reign if Qianlong in the 18th century. Entitled ”Jade Mountain Showing the Great Yu Taming the Flood”, it was sculpted after a Song Dynasty painting of a similar title. The jade carving piece is 2.24 meters high and 1 meter wide, which depicts vividly the detail how Great Yu with people harnessed the river. According to historical records, the uncut jade tone was 5 tons, which was discovered in Hotan area, Xinjiang. It took 3 years to transport the stone to Beijing and took 6 years to carve and polish. No wonder it is a national treasure.

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