Chinese people like to treat jade as heirlooms. What exactly are they passing on?

Whether watching TV dramas or reading history, we can find that many people have heirlooms in their homes, and most people’s heirlooms are jade. Even today we can still find heirlooms in many people's homes, such as the mother-in-law taking off the jade bracelet passed down from generation to generation and giving it to the new daughter-in-law.

You can recall that the ancestors of almost every household can produce one or two jade products. What is passed down here is not only the elders' intentions, but also the family's long-term hopes, blessings or protections. It is also the elders' hope that their intentions can be passed down from generation to generation.

Well, we can't help but ask, jade is certainly valuable, but gold and silver are also very valuable, and they are circulating currencies, so why do people still choose jade as heirlooms?

Jade is even rarer

Gold, silver and jade are all relatively rare, but high-quality jade is rarer than gold and silver. For example, domestic Hetian jade and Burmese jadeite are both very precious. Relatively speaking, the output of gold is larger.

Both gold and jade can be made into jewelry. However, if there is a mistake when making gold jewelry, we can completely re-melt and reprocess it. Moreover, the composition of gold is relatively simple, so it can be made into exactly the same jewelry.

But jade is different. When making jade, if there is a mistake, the jade is likely to be ruined. This feature also makes jade more precious. Every piece of jade jewelry deserves our careful treatment.

In addition, although jades look similar, details such as patterns and colors are different. There are no two jades in the world that are exactly the same, which makes jade jewelry unique. Each piece of jade has a different meaning.

Jade has a better meaning

When we choose heirlooms, we should not only consider its value, but also its meaning. After all, heirlooms represent the cultural connotation of the family and the blessings of the elders to the younger generations. Things with beautiful meanings are more popular.

Almost all idioms related to jade are positive. A woman with a slender figure is called graceful and elegant, and a beautiful woman is called fairy-like and jade-like; a man with an elegant demeanor is called jade-like and handsome, and a humble person is called gentle and kind. The cultural value of jade cannot be replaced by gold or silver.

So, what exactly do jade heirlooms pass down?

Symbol of royal power

The character "玉" in oracle bone script looks like a rope with several pieces of jade strung together. If the character "玉" is written in small seal script and the upper and lower ends of the rope are omitted, and the three horizontal lines are equally spaced, it is "玉". If the distance between the top two horizontal lines is close and the distance between the bottom one is far, it is "王". Jade is another manifestation of ancient royal power.

The word "玉" in oracle bone script

The inheritance of jade also includes the inheritance of jade carving and polishing, the inheritance of jade decorative patterns... Due to wars, changes of dynasties and other reasons, many jade crafts and products have disappeared, but the Chinese people's pursuit of their inheritance has enabled us to still see or use them today.

In addition to being a symbol of royal power, jade also carries cultural value and family beliefs.

Cultural Value

We treat jade as heirlooms, and what we value most is not its value but its culture. Our Chinese nation has always been a nation that loves and worships jade. We have a profound cultural heritage, and the inheritance of jade is also the inheritance of culture.

"It is better to be broken into pieces than to live in dishonor." In jade, we see the quality of unwillingness to yield and the tenacious and firm belief. When it comes to jade, we not only pay for its appearance, but also value its precious quality, which is as precious as our great Chinese nation.

Family beliefs

When we choose an heirloom, we will choose something that can represent the family. The heirloom must reflect the family's spirit and values. This heirloom not only tells the family's history, but also inherits the family's beliefs.

In the process of heirlooms being passed down from generation to generation, they witness the honor and disgrace, rise and fall of a family, embody the emotions and spirit of the elders, and condense the strength of the entire family. Passing down jade is also about hoping that future generations can become people who are as gentle as jade, have pursuits, ideals and beliefs. Carrying heavy hopes.

Peace and happiness

Jade must be crafted, the craftsmanship must have meaning, and the meaning must be auspicious. The themes of jade are different and the meanings are also different, but the meanings of most jades are very beautiful and they carry people’s hopes.

Our jade culture has a long history and is still developing today. Keeping jade as a family heirloom also symbolizes passing on blessings of peace and good fortune.

So, do you have any heirlooms in your family? If you have it, please protect it well. If not, it would be great if you could be the first to pass it on!

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