Just look at how beautiful jade is.

There is an old saying: A gentleman never leaves his jade without a reason.

Jade culture runs deeply through Chinese civilization. In ancient times, jade was a symbol of a gentleman. Confucianism used the saying "a gentleman is likened to jade" and endowed jade with five virtues, namely: benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, and purity. There is also a saying that " when you think of a gentleman, he is as warm as jade."

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Chinese believed that jade was a medium of communication between humans and gods, and it was pushed to the pinnacle of mythology during the Han Dynasty . People believed that jade was the essence of mountain rocks, that eating it could prolong life, keeping corpses from decaying, and wearing it could ward off evil spirits , such as the legendary golden jade burial suit.

As the king of jadeite, the popularity of jadeite began in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. With the help of China's profound jade culture and the advantages of jadeite itself, plus the promotion of two people, jadeite has gradually become deified.

The first person is Qianlong, who was very fond of jadeite. Today, the museum still has a box of imperial rings from the Qianlong period, made of jadeite and Hetian jade.

Jadeite and Khotan jade ring made by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty

Ji Xiaolan wrote in Notes from Yuewei Thatched Cottage: "The value of things varies according to the fashion of the time. When I was young, ginseng, coral, and lapis lazuli were not expensive, but now it is not. Yunnan jade was not considered jade at that time, but was just like Lantian dry yellow jade, which was forced to be called jade. Now it is a treasure and its price is far higher than that of real jade."

It can be seen that under the promotion of Emperor Qianlong, jadeite has gone from being "not regarded as jade" to "a treasure, whose price far exceeds that of real jade" (real jade refers to Hetian jade).

The second is Empress Dowager Cixi. Her favorite jade watermelon and jade cabbage are well-known to everyone. Even Li Lianying’s jade ring is widely known.

Once beauty is discovered, it cannot be hidden. Jade, as a beautiful stone, has been passed down for thousands of years. Jadeite, as the best type of jade, has been flourishing since the Qing Dynasty. Its fame has attracted the curiosity of countless people. How beautiful is jadeite, which has conquered rulers and nobles?

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