The relationship between jadeite and jade, the growth history of jadeite, the "king of jade"

Based on the chemical composition and physical properties of minerals, jade includes two types: nephrite and jadeite. This is the definition given to jade by French mineralogist Domour. Chinese Hetian jade is a nephrite jade, while jade produced in Myanmar is a hard jade, also known as jadeite.

Jade jewelry

In ancient China, there was only one type of jade, nephrite, because Xinjiang produced high-quality nephrite but not jadeite. This situation continued until the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties, when jadeite produced in Myanmar was gradually imported into China. Due to the limitations of labor tools and productivity, primitive humans often did not have the ability to distinguish real jade from jade-like stones. In China's history with written records, people's understanding of jade materials also varied in different eras.

Hetian jade jewelry

What was called jade before the Iron Age was actually just serpentine jade, which generally had a hardness of only 4.5 to 4 degrees on the Mohs hardness scale. After entering the Iron Age, Hetian jade (an amphibole mineral) was called jade based on the fact that the tool of the time, iron, could not be engraved. This is because the hardness of iron is 5.5 degrees, while the hardness of amphibole minerals is 6 degrees, which cannot be engraved by iron.

Judging from the results of identification of the craftsmanship and materials of unearthed ancient jades and handed down jade artifacts, it can be concluded that the jade commonly known in China from ancient times to the present includes Hetian jade, serpentine jade and grooved fossil jade. The Xiuyan jade produced in Xiuyan County, Liaoning Province is a serpentine jade, while the Nanyang jade produced in Nanyang County, Henan Province is a trough fossil jade. The Hetian jade is nephrite jade; serpentine jade and trough fossil jade are just jade materials similar to nephrite.

Serpentine Jade

At present, there are still a small number of people who hold the view that "jade is produced in Yunnan, China", but in fact, jade is not produced in China. So where is the origin of this statement? According to experts' research, the Wulong River basin, a tributary of the Don River, a tributary of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, which is now an important jade production area in the world, was once under the jurisdiction of Yongchang Prefecture in Yunnan, China. Therefore, this sentence has its historical origins.

Judging from the physical objects unearthed by archaeology and palace collections, jadeite has never been found before the Ming Dynasty. The jade treasures looted from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance and the jade collections now in the Palace Museum are both treasures of the Qing Dynasty. During the excavation of the world-famous Dingling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing, no jade products were found as burial objects, but they are very common in tombs of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, many people now believe that jadeite, which belongs to the category of jadeite, only entered China from Myanmar through the Second Silk Road in the early Qing Dynasty. At the beginning, jadeite was not considered jade and its price was far lower than that of nephrite.

【Late Qing Dynasty Old Mine Jade Bracelet (a pair)】

After that, jadeite began to be tributed to the imperial court or spread to the people. Over time, the Chinese people learned more and more about jadeite. According to historical records, Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty were both very fond of jadeite. Later, as jadeite products became increasingly popular, the value of Burmese jadeite gradually increased, making the beautiful jadeite the most favored of jades.

According to historical records, the supply route to Burma was restored in the early years of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, further promoting the exchange of jade and jadeite culture between the two countries. At the same time, China's jade carving technology was also introduced to Myanmar.

After more than three hundred years, jade has become widely popular among the Chinese people, and the jade carving industry in Tengchong, Yunnan has also flourished. China's jade culture has achieved vigorous development.

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