To understand jade culture, you must first read the story of Empress Dowager Cixi, Song Meiling's obsession with jade

The development of any industry is inseparable from some key figures or celebrity effects. For the jade industry, the development of modern jade is inseparable from the driving role of two female celebrities, namely Empress Dowager Cixi and Soong Mei-ling.

The story of Empress Dowager Cixi's obsession with jade

Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty loved jadeite all her life. This can be seen from the burial objects she was buried with after her death. According to later discoveries and statistics, Empress Dowager Cixi was buried with many jade products, as well as rubies and sapphires. For example, two jade watermelons with green skin, red flesh and black seeds were found among her burial objects, and were worth 5 million taels of silver. Two emerald cabbages, with a green katydid sitting on the heart of the cabbage and two yellow bees beside the green leaves, worth 10 million taels of silver. This shows how much Empress Dowager Cixi loved jade.

The Story of Song Meiling's Jade

As the first lady of the Republic of China, Soong Mei-ling's love for jadeite is beyond the understanding of ordinary people. The jadeite on Soong Mei-ling's hands are all priceless and very famous.

In the 1930s, the jade king of Beijing bought a piece of jade, which was of very high quality and had a very nice emerald color. He asked a very famous and skilled craftsman to carve it into a pair of bracelets, which were of excellent design and as clear as water. Shanghai helped Du Yuesheng buy the bracelet for 40,000 yuan. When Soong Mei-ling saw the bracelet worn by Mrs. Du, she fell in love with it at first sight and couldn't let it go. In the end, Mrs. Du had to reluctantly give it up. Gave it to Soong Mei-ling.

On Soong Mei-ling's 100th birthday, this famous woman of her generation wore a traditional bun and a black cheongsam. In front of many guests, she wore a complete set of jade jewelry, including jade earrings, jade necklaces, jade bracelets and jade rings. The color and texture of the whole set of jade jewelry are of the highest quality. Dressed in the whole set of jade jewelry, even though she is already a centenarian, she is still so elegant and graceful, showing her nobleness.

At that time, experts estimated that the jadeite set worn by Soong May-ling was worth more than 100 million yuan. This shows that Soong May-ling spent a lot of time and money on speeding.

Because Empress Dowager Cixi and Soong Mei-ling were both celebrities, their love for jade made jade earn the title of the king of jade and also stimulated people's love for jade.

The development of any industry is inseparable from the effect of some celebrities. Soong Mei-ling and Empress Dowager Cixi made indelible contributions to the development of jade in modern China.

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