岫岩玉矿区
Liaoning, China
辽宁岫岩县是岫岩玉的产地,岫玉为中国『四大名玉』之一,也是产量最大的玉种——主要为半透明的绿色蛇纹石玉,亦有部分透闪石软玉。
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.