JADE
Precious Gem and Vital in Our Culture
By Rose Salas
玉
珍贵宝石与文化的重要性
玉代表了我们文化的三个特征：善良，珍贵和美丽。它不仅仅是某种美丽的绿色石头或神秘的岩石，还可以当作装饰品或珠宝。它体现了质量和独特性。它的光彩代表着纯洁和智慧。
如果有人形容你冰清玉洁，那么我们就知道你是一个高尚纯洁的人。这就是为什么许多成语和谚语将玉结合到短语或名称中。
目前，玉仍然很受欢迎。很多人仍然相信它可以起到好运和健康的作用。在去年杭州西湖博物馆举办的展览中，展出了大约320件玉器，并向公众开放观赏。它证明了玉文化在过去的盛大程度。玉不仅仅因为它的稀有而被认为是珍贵的。由于我们都非常重视和尊重传统美德，翡翠将永远保持其重要性; 越来越多的人将其视作为我们历史上最珍贵的宝石。
Jade or Yu represents three symbols that shaped our culture: goodness, preciousness, and beauty. Every aspect of this precious gem reflects a remarkable character that is present in our civilization. It is not just some kind of a beautiful green stone, or a mysterious rock that one can use as an ornament or jewellery. Its features embody quality and uniqueness. Its brilliance represents purity and its hardness, intelligence. The richness of its colour signifies loyalty, while its flaws are to sincerity.
Image: Polished Jade Rocks
Being known as a “sacrificial vessel” back in the ancient times, jades were used in a ritual ceremony, like when the Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan State was buried using 2,498 pieces of jade as a suit. Only the affluent and elite people could afford this kind of burial. Thus, jade represents a social status. Throughout the years, people around the world came to know that this precious material is a symbol of social value.
Image: Jade Burial Suit
As it was written in one of our sayings, “Gold has a value and jade is invaluable…” This is because jade was considered to epitomize perfection and immortality. In the Book of Rites, Confucius mentioned that there were 11 virtues attributed to jade: justice, propriety, truth, benevolence, credibility, music, loyalty, heaven, earth, morality, and intelligence. It links man to spirituality and religion. With all these ethicalness that has been attributed to jade, indeed, we can say that it is really indispensable!
Image: Jade Bangle
We all know that gold is an all-time precious metal that everyone wants to possess. It has a high value in the global market even up to this day. But, why do we consider jade invaluable and incomparable to gold? Jade is used to be described as purity or purification; thus, claimed as a healing gem. It carries a nourishing energy, so if you keep it close to some aching body parts, it brings an outright healing effect. The energy present in this stone helps you reach a state of balance and harmony. Even the old people believed that it could ward off bad spirits. This is why jade is also regarded as the “Stone of Heaven”. It is believed that, in Feng Shui practice, Yu brings endless good luck, so it is a favourite stone used for carving animals like elephants, dragons, fish and many other symbols of luck and wealth.
Image: Nephrite Jade Elephant
Moreover, it denotes a desirable and beautiful characteristic in a person. If someone describes you as 冰清玉洁 (bingqing yujie), then we know that you are of a noble and pure character. That is why, many of idioms and proverbs were found to have jade incorporated into phrases or names.
What makes jade a vital symbol of our culture is the incomparable value of this gem to even the highly-priced gem found all over the world, such as diamonds! Having around 5 thousand years of history, jade had been present in the development of our civilization and its significance did not become void of worth. As a matter of fact, it is present in all periods of the Chinese history, being more apparent as a symbol of political power and religious authority.
Presently, jade is still popular. A lot of people still believe that it serves as protection, good luck and health giver. In the exhibition held last year at Hangzhou’s West Lake Museum, there were about 320 pieces of jade relics that were displayed and became open to public for viewing. It served as a testimony of how grand the jade culture had been in the past. Jade is not considered precious only because of its rareness. As we all put a high regard and value in virtues, Jade will forever hold its significance; reaching more and more generations, while bearing its trademark as the most precious gem in our history.
