Tender Jade——History, Culture and Legend of Jade

China does not produce jade. It is generally recognized that China's jade is imported from Myanmar. When was it entered? The research results so far are: it was imported from Myanmar in the early Qing Dynasty.

Jadeite was popular in the Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty court made extensive use of jadeite, such as inlaid on headbands, hats, court beads, seals and other objects; jade ruyi; bonsai, jars, Guanyin and other jade articles.

During the Qianlong period, jade ornaments were used in large quantities. A pair of "Pearl-thread Plum Blossom" bonsai used 46 jade beads.

Among the objects buried with Empress Dowager Cixi were a large number of jade ornaments, such as magic wands, Buddhas, jade cabbages, peaches, and lucky beans and melons. Ruyi leaves, etc.

The Connotation of Jade Culture

Since ancient times, jade has been regarded as the most precious gem for its deep and crystal texture, which contains the spiritual spirit of mysterious oriental culture. It is known as the "Oriental Emerald" and is regarded as the most precious gem. Xu Shen of the Han Dynasty explained in "Shuowen Jiezi" that "fei means red-feathered bird; cui means green-feathered bird".

The ancients named a gem after two beautiful birds. What a touching sentiment it must have been, which invisibly added a long-lasting cultural atmosphere to this gem.

It is surprising that such a beautiful gem is actually an imported product. More than 95% of the world's true jade is produced in Myanmar, especially high-quality jade, which almost all comes from Myanmar. Jade's connection with China began in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty.

"A gentleman is modest and gentle like jade." It is precisely with its elegant, luxurious, profound and steady character, which is in line with the spiritual connotation of traditional Chinese jade culture, that jadeite has conquered the hearts of the Chinese people and is revered as the "king of jade."

Appreciation of jade is an art. Each of us should not only understand and appreciate jade from a cultural level, but also learn more about material things, such as jade materials, jade colors, and some common terms about jade, such as water, type, ground, reflection, etc., to grasp jade from all aspects. When people collect jade, they are not collecting the raw stone, but the objects after they are carved into shape. The process of artists processing jade is the process of giving jade a soul and spirit. Only after this does the jade truly have artistic value. Just like the Heshi Bi, its value is revealed only after it is cut and carved, and art is priceless.

The level of appreciation of jade is formed by learning from the strengths of many others. Anyone who collects jade must have a variety of knowledge and must understand the entire history of Chinese jade, including its varieties, shapes, origins and craftsmanship. You must also understand Chinese bronzes, Chinese ceramics, and Chinese calligraphy and painting. Because in ancient culture, various cultures influenced and penetrated each other under certain conditions. In addition, you must also have knowledge about gold and silver articles, because jade exists in combination with them in the jewelry category. You also need to master knowledge about ethnic groups, folk customs, etc.

The Historical Significance of Jade

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Confucian scholars combined the study of ritual with jade, and used jade to embody the ideas of ritual. In order to adapt to the rulers' love for jade, the traditional Confucian concepts of benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, music, loyalty, trustworthiness, heaven, earth, and virtue were attached to the various characteristics of jade's physical and chemical properties. As a result, "a gentleman compares his virtues to jade", and the theory that jade has five virtues, nine virtues, and eleven virtues came into being.

However, the processing technology was very primitive at that time, and only a few nobles in the palace and wealthy ladies wore jadeite. It was not until the Song Dynasty that it became truly popular among the people. At that time, there was a folk custom that when a young couple got married, the old grandmother would take out a jade bracelet wrapped in layer upon layer of red silk and give it to the newlyweds to wear, wishing them a harmonious and happy life. One day several years later, this scene would be repeated. This tradition embodies the unique, solid and immortal nature of jade, and has preserved the essence of ancient Chinese culture and art quite intact.

Today, though times have changed, jade's special and unique qualities have long been rooted in the Chinese people's hearts of worshipping and loving jade. Jade represents beauty, nobility, steadfastness and immortality. "A gentleman is modest and gentle like jade." While owning jade, one also cultivates one's sentiments and deepens one's soul.

The legend of jade

Legend has it that in the early 13th century, a salt merchant in Yunnan accidentally brought a piece of stone back from Myanmar. The crystal clear green stone immediately conquered the jade-loving Chinese. This stone was jadeite, which is called "hard jade" in the jade family, also known as the "king of jade" because of its bright color, rare output, glassy luster, moist texture, strong toughness and high hardness. From then on, jadeite and China had an indissoluble bond. When it comes to the origin of "jade", there was once a saying: There was a bird in ancient Yunnan, China. The male of this bird was bright red and was called the jade bird, and the female was bright green and was called the kingfisher. The jade bird was a very beautiful pet, and its feathers were very beautiful and could be made into jewelry. In the Qing Dynasty, the feathers of the kingfisher were brought into the palace as ornaments, especially the green feathers, so the imperial jade was deeply loved by the imperial concubines. Since most jade produced in nature are green and red, the term "jade" gradually changed from the name of a bird to the name of a jade stone, and the origin of jade was also derived from this.

There is another theory about the origin of jadeite. In the early Qing Dynasty, jadeite was transported to China from Myanmar through the "Second Silk Road". At that time, the Hetian jade produced in China was called jadeite. In order to distinguish it, it was called non-jadeite. As time goes by, Feicui turns into jadeite.

Popular from ancient times to the present

Jade culture in China has a history of more than 7,000 years, beginning in the Neolithic Age. Its history is earlier than that of Eastern cultural forms such as ceramics, writing, painting, sculpture, architecture, and silk, and it has hardly been interrupted in these 7,000 years. Looking around the world, there are several places, such as New Zealand and several South American countries, where jade culture has appeared in history, but it flourished for a short time and then ended. The only exception is China. It can be said that jade culture is one of the ancient cultures with the longest history and best represents Eastern civilization.

In the eyes of Westerners, jade best represents Chinese culture and is the most mysterious. It is difficult for them to understand how the worship of a certain natural material could have lasted for thousands of years. They like to listen to Chinese friends say that jade is spiritual and can protect its owner.

The Chinese have had a special fondness for jade since ancient times, and they like jade more than gold and other jades. In ancient times, "a gentleman will never leave his jade without a reason, and a gentleman is as virtuous as jade." Jade's warm color represents kindness, its tough texture symbolizes wisdom, its non-injurious edges represent fairness and justice, and the clear and smooth sound produced when struck reflects the virtue of integrity. Because of this, it has been loved by people since ancient times. Jade culture is a Chinese culture that has existed for more than 7,000 years. It is a profound and special culture that only China has. It permeates the entire historical period of China. The interesting stories about it are even more colorful and bizarre, which shows that the Chinese nation loves jade deeply, sincerely, fascinatedly and infatuatedly. This formed the traditional Chinese concept of using jade, which is to respect jade, love jade, wear jade, appreciate jade and play with jade.

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