Jade Myths丨Ancient Legends about the Origin of Jade

Jade is the new darling of the jade world. For those who love jade, it is a treasure in their hearts. Nowadays, jade is no longer exclusive to the rich, but is increasingly found in every household.

Today, let’s discuss with you the legends about the origin of jade.

Legend story 1

In China's beautiful Yunnan Province, there is a widely circulated legend that jade is the incarnation of fairies and elves. It is said that there was a family of traditional Chinese medicine in Dali. There was a girl in the family who was as beautiful as a fairy and was kind and generous. By chance, the woman was met by the Burmese prince. The prince was fascinated by her beautiful face and determined to marry the girl home. He spent a large sum of money to marry her. Finally, he got his wish and married the beauty.

Ever since the girl married the Burmese prince, she has been called the "Emerald Queen". Because there are so many poor people in Myanmar and they have no way to treat their illnesses, the kind-hearted "Emerald Goddess" began to benefit the poor people, helping them get rid of their illnesses, deal with their pain, and even teaching them to sing. However, the Jade Lady's indifference seriously violated the royal etiquette of Myanmar at that time. When the Burmese king learned about it, he was very angry and immediately demoted the Jade Lady to the impoverished mountainous area of ​​Myitkyina in Myanmar.

The "Emerald Goddess" in poor areas has never forgotten the poor people and has always provided them with help. The "Emerald Goddess" has traveled to almost all the mountains and rivers in the Myitkyina mountainous area, and wherever she goes, she will provide treatment for the poor people there. Finally, the "Emerald Goddess" died, and her kind-hearted soul turned into the beautiful king of jade - jadeite. The legend about the "Emerald Goddess" has been widely circulated in the mountainous areas of northern Myanmar. It is even said that beautiful jade crystals are left behind in all the mountains and rivers where the "Emerald Goddess" visited before her death.

Regardless of whether the legend is true or false, jade is a well-deserved treasure and plays an irreplaceable role in the collection of Chinese art. Let us treat this legend as true and pass on this kindness.

Legend story 2

In addition to the "Jade Goddess" mentioned above, there is a more relevant view on the origin of jadeite. This has to do with a good book, which is "Shuowen Jiezi" written by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The explanation of the word jadeite at that time was as follows: "Fei, is a red-feathered bird; Cui, is a green-feathered bird." Until finally, ancient people used these two words, which originally referred to bird feathers, to describe red and green ornaments. Around the Song Dynasty, the two words were combined to describe emerald green jadeite, which was not yet authentic jadeite but a type of nephrite. Until the middle and late Qing Dynasty, large quantities of Burmese jade entered the imperial court as tribute and were favored by imperial concubines. Because its colors are mostly green and red, and the same color as the feathers of the kingfisher, people called this kind of Burmese jade jadeite.

"Emerald Bird"

Whether it is legend one or legend two, they are all people's assumptions about the origin of jade. Although there is no scientific evidence, they also symbolize people's expectations for certain things.

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