"Everyone loves beauty". Our ancestors have always loved jade, and appreciating jade is a noble hobby.

Our ancestors recognized the hardness and beauty of jade as early as 5,111 years BC. Jade can not only be used to grind tools and weapons, but also be a beautiful decorative object, which embodies people's artistic feelings and spiritual pursuits, and it is also used as a ritual vessel to worship ancestors. Therefore, jade in China has a mysterious color from the beginning, which can ward off evil spirits and symbolize the functions of power, wealth and nobility.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Hetian jade was imported into the Central Plains in large quantities, and the royal princes competed to choose Hetian jade. The linked jade lamp collected in the Forbidden City was the standard Hetian jade. At this time, Confucian scholars combined the study of etiquette with Hetian jade and used Hetian jade to embody the thought of etiquette.

in order to adapt to the rulers' love for hetian jade, the traditional Confucian concepts of benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, joy, loyalty, faithfulness, heaven, earth and virtue were attached to the physical and chemical properties of hetian jade, and then "a gentleman is better than jade", and jade has five virtues, nine virtues and eleven virtues came into being.

Jade culture, as the epitome of China traditional culture, profoundly reflects the history of China, and even more reflects people's desire to compare with jade and cultivate their sentiments.

China is the earliest country to mine jade in the world. The history of using jade for nearly 7,111 years has made a splendid jade culture represented by Hetian jade in Xinjiang. From the "Three Rites of Jade" in the Zhou Dynasty to the Buddhist culture in the jade in the Tang Dynasty, all jade articles show their inherent delicacy and gentleness.

in the late Qing dynasty, the glittering and translucent jade came from behind and became the king of jade in an instant.

Qianlong and Cixi are both "fans" of jadeite.

The kingship of jadeite has a lot to do with the love of the rulers at that time.

It is said that Qianlong was the biggest "fan" of jadeite. At that time, many ornaments on the emperor's body, hand-playing pieces and decorations on the palace treasure cabinet were carved from jadeite, and Qianlong's love for jadeite was even more obsessive. Every year, he ordered the governor of Yunnan to pay for jadeite jade, especially the 18 jades named "Eighteen Treasures of Qianlong's Prosperity" by later generations, which became the theme of jade carving that jade companies followed first.

"There is another woman who has a great influence on jade, namely Empress Dowager Cixi. Her love and collection of jade is absolutely top-notch. The well-known" Jade Cabbage "(now collected by the Palace Museum in Taiwan) was worth 5 million taels of silver at that time.

There are four amazing "Emerald Watermelons" * * *, two white-skinned and yellow-seeded pulps and two green-skinned and white-seeded pulps, which are worth 6 million taels of silver.

Unfortunately, many of these treasures have been lost. "

Hetian jade in Xinjiang began to be collected in the Tang Dynasty

Hetian jade in Xinjiang has a longer history, and it has been collected and used since the court of the Tang Dynasty.

In particular, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty was crazy about jade, and often gave jade to meritorious ministers and concubines.

The largest jade piece in beihai and round castle National Treasures Museum is Hetian jade carving in Xinjiang, which weighs more than ten tons.

It is said that at that time, the emperor ordered it to be transported from Kunlun Mountain in Xinjiang to Beijing within a time limit of three months. Because of the long distance and backward means of transportation, the leader minister was killed after the deadline was missed.

This huge Hetian jade carved dozens of figures, landscapes, pines and cypresses and bridges. Dayu waved flags to direct migrant workers to build canals. The scene was spectacular and the carving was vivid. What is even more amazing is how such a huge sculpture was carved in that era when there was no electricity and no tools.

After liberation, the relevant state departments organized the top jade carving artists in China (so-called five giant heads) to study how this work was carved, and experts looked at the stone and sighed, which is still a mystery.

The popularity of jadeite

It is said that in the early 13th century, a salt merchant in Yunnan accidentally carried a stone back to China from Myanmar, and that glittering green stone suddenly conquered China people who love jade. This stone is jadeite, which is called "jadeite" in the jade family because of its bright color, rare output, glassy luster, moist texture, strong toughness and high hardness.

Most jadeite jade producing areas belong to undeveloped mountainous areas. Although it is not haunted by ghosts, wolves, tigers and leopards, Meng Yin often walks on the deep mountain, where there is no sunshine for a day, and there is only a small road for jade people to walk out. Fog dew river, rolling turbidity current, every summer thunderstorm weather, everywhere on the surface of the water bubble, plumes of smoke, smoke to three feet high that is gathered together, people sitting in the boat, opaque, such as into the fog.

In addition to smoking, mosquitoes, pythons and malaria, the environment is harsh, and the tools are primitive, the dry season is short, the materials are scarce, and the exploitation of jade is extremely difficult.

it was not until the 8th century, with the progress of science and technology, that jadeite really entered Yunnan, China.

Although it is only 311 ~ 411 years since the introduction and application of jadeite, its short and glorious history is enough to make other jades envy, and together with other jades, it constitutes the jade culture with a long history of the Chinese nation.

in the Ming dynasty, Burmese jadeite appeared in China; In the Qing Dynasty, it was called "Royal Jade" because of the love of princes and nobles (especially the admiration of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and the infatuation of Empress Dowager Cixi), so jade was worth a hundred times and became the best of jade.

Jade is closely related to people's lives. In people's eyes, it is not only a beautiful stone, but also has mysterious beliefs and attachments.

Both ancient people and modern people love, like and play with jade. "A gentleman never leaves his body without a reason.".

It has become the most popular jade in the world, such as descendants of the Yellow Emperor and South Korea. Wearing jade and loving jade has become a modern fashion.