Xiuyan Jade District
Xiuyan County (岫岩) in Liaoning is the source of Xiuyan jade, one of China's "Four Famous Jades" and the country's most-produced jade — mainly translucent green serpentine, with some tremolite nephrite.
About Xiuyan Jade Districtextended article
One of China's "Four Famous Jades"
Xiuyan County in eastern Liaoning gives its name to Xiuyan jade (岫玉), counted among China's four most famous jades and the country's most abundantly produced. Most Xiuyan jade is a serpentine rock, ranging from yellow-green to deep green and often beautifully translucent; the district also yields some tremolite nephrite.
What Xiuyan is known for
- Serpentine jade (岫玉) — translucent green carving material
- Tremolite nephrite (老玉, "old jade")
Cultural and collector value
Xiuyan-type jade has been used in China since the Neolithic, including by the Hongshan culture, and remains a mainstay of Chinese carving today. Translucency, even colour, and freedom from fractures are the main quality factors.
From Neolithic jade to the “Jade King”
Xiuyan-type jade has been worked since the Neolithic: the celebrated jade dragons and “pig-dragons” of the Hongshan culture (around 4000 BCE) were carved from tremolite nephrite of the Xiuyan type, making this one of the oldest jade traditions in China. The county is also famous for enormous jade boulders — most notably the giant “Jade King” (玉王) — that have kept Xiuyan a centre of large-scale jade carving to the present day.