Hi!
Welcome back to my blog! Last week I wrote about the tradition of burning incense. This week I will be exploring another tradition that dates back further. Jade is a precious gemstone of great cultural importance to the Chinese. Its history dates back to nearly 9,000 years ago during the early Neolithic period. Jade typically comes in two forms, the harder jadeite, and the softer nephrite that is more commonly found in China. Jade served mainly decorative purposes but is also believed to possess spiritual properties by some. Confucius likened jade as a representation of “virtue, kindness, wisdom, justice, civility, music, sincerity, truth, Heaven and Earth”. This all points to how valuable jade is to the Chinese. Indeed, the popularity of this green gemstone is booming, with the nephrite jade market in China being valued at US$30 billion in 2016. As the Chinese economy grows, the demand for jade can be expected to increase as well, but the question is, where does all this jade come from?
Personally, I have worn a jade pendant ever since I was 13. Yet I have never wondered about the origins of this brilliant stone. The truth is Myanmar supplies about 70% of the world’s jadeite and its production process is cause for much concern. The jade industry in Myanmar has resulted in serious environmental and social impacts. This article recounts how the Hpakant region in Myanmar has changed over 20 years ever since industrial mining has taken over the place. Deforestation has replaced the greenery with mining pits and heavy machinery, while the mismanagement of waste products leads to water pollution. The changes to land cover have also resulted in an increased risk of environmental hazards like landslides. Besides the environmental impacts, rampant corruption and military conflict between the government and the local militia have also worsened the situation. The lack of regulation results in harsh working conditions and limited economic benefits reaching the workers. All this leads to a very exploitative industry with uneven distribution of benefits and shows the harsh truth behind this shiny green stone. 
Of course, this exploitative nature is not just limited to jade mining, but also to most extractive industries seeking out other precious metals and gems. The nature of the industry also shows a stark contrast across the borders. On one end, the Chinese consumers get to admire the wonderfully crafted pieces of jade, whilst on the other end, workers and miners are suffering and barely able to make ends meet. It shows how our desires and wants can drive up demand for these luxury goods, with far-reaching impacts that most of us are blind to. Tradition is not the only ‘culprit’ here, as consumerism has contributed to the growing demand for jade and other precious stones. However, I do feel that our traditions will make it more challenging to tackle such issues. Precious stones like jade possess much intrinsic value due to our beliefs and traditions and will continue to do so with how deep-rooted these traditions are. Demand for jade is unlikely to go away and without improvements in the regulation of the industry, the situation might only worsen.
If you would like to find out more about the jade mining industry, this website has a lot of information and even tries to uncover the true value of the industry. Till next week!
Jun Yu
Hi Jun Yu
Wow thanks for the interesting read, despite having seen my relatives wear jade pendants all the time, I have never really thought about the environmental impacts of it, really cool. I was wondering, I am not sure if it is just my relatives but as far as I have noticed, people usually do not change their jade jewelry very often if at all. If this is the case then why is the demand for jade still so high or are there other types of jade jewelry besides the traditional ones that have driven this up.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Mark
Hi Mark,
That’s a very good point that you’ve brought up. I believe the reasons behind the demand for jade have changed over time, with factors other than tradition coming into play. This article mentions how some have ventured into the jade market as a form of investment and means to diversify their assets. The demand for jade has also grown in the West as mentioned here. As such, it seems that the recent increase in demand for jade is not due to tradition and the intrinsic value of jade. However, I do feel that Chinese culture has definitely played an important role in turning jade into the valuable gemstone it is today.
-Jun Yu
Hi Jun Yu,
Great post about an issue I read about on Al Jazeera and shared with a colleague whose lab members do a lot of fieldwork there – he was unaware of it as well. Quite upsetting.
I’m writing because I don’t understand what Mark means when he says his relatives don’t “change their jade jewelry often, if at all”. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but jewelry, to me, is something we tend to not only hold onto as individuals, but also pass on to our loved ones.
Like, check this out…
When my grandparents immigrated to Canada with my mum, they were dirt poor and had literally no money. When their ship docked in New York (where they were “processed” before moving onto Canada), all the refugees were given 5 USD. My grandparents bought my mum a coat because it was winter and they had no warm clothes. Fast fwd many yrs and my grandparents (who by the time I was born were well off) gave me some jewelry, including some that belonged to my grandmother. One piece was a ring, whose stone she changed from hers to my birthstone – she gave it to me on my 16th birthday. I asked her (because it looked really old) where & when she bought it. And she said : I didn’t buy it – it was a gift I received for my 16th birthday. As it turned out, other pieces she’d given me were also from before they came to Canada.
That’s when I realised that despite each of them mainly growing up poor and then coming over with nothing, my grandparents thought it was better to hang onto these items than to hock them for cash to provide their immediate needs. In a way, I find this decision foolish. In another, I’m so grateful to have these pieces of history – my nana’s ring is now almost 90 yrs old! And I feel these are things I could never part with (though I can’t say I know what that kind of poverty feels like).
This long-winded story just to ask you : do people here feel this way about their jewelry ?
jc
Hi Dr Coleman and Jun Yu,
Wow! That is a really heartwarming story thank you for sharing it! I wish I had a long-storied family heirloom to remind me of my family’s past as well.
What I meant by that when my grandmother was still around, she used to wear the same jade bangle around her wrist 24/7, and this was the case with some of my other more traditional relatives as well. However, my parents did not, which I assumed was because they were not as traditional.
I was wondering if this was really due to a Chinese tradition that made them always wear the same bangle or a personal choice. Also, if it was really due to the tradition that they did not change their jewelry, how would it have affected the demand for jade?
Thank you 🙂
Mark
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thanks for sharing the wonderful story! I feel that nowadays the sentimental value of jewellery has decreased as they are mostly seen as luxurious accessories. I think this is due to the rise in affluence and disposable incomes, which has made it easier to replace lost pieces of jewellery, and so people do not attach as much sentimental value to their jewellery. It has also allowed us to own more pieces of jewellery and with so many choices, the value of any one piece is likely to be lower. This has also led to our possesions being less cherished as we were born into a simpler time where it was easier to make ends meet. As with most other luxury goods, the increase in their monetary value seems to have depreciated their sentimental value.
-Jun Yu
Thank you (and please thank Mark for me) for these responses.
What you both say is interesting to me. It’s evident that your values around jewelry are somewhat different from mine. I don’t know how much of this is a generational vs cultural vs unique personality thing though.
Occasionally, I’ve bought myself jewelry. But most pieces I own were given to me, whether by partners or my mum and grandmother. And there’s SO much sentimental value attached to each one – value that vastly outweighs what each is worth in money (and some are pretty valuable) – so that I’d be heartbroken if I lost any of them. But even the ones I bought myself… I attach value to them, like they remind me of trips I’ve taken or of how far I’ve come since the end of my PhD, when I could barely pay my rent and had to buy groceries on credit.
That said, I completely see your point (Jun Yu) about how luxury items and affluence can breed a disregard for or diminishment of sentimental value.
I wonder if this (knowledge of the struggles my family went through and my own lesser struggles) is what might account for a different viewpoint. Like, maybe you have to suffer or have a cultural memory of suffering to truly appreciate things ?
I’d love to know more about Mark’s grandmother and her bangle – what it means to her and what his parents think about jewelry in comparison.
jc
Hi Jun Yu, this is a really interesting post! I think jade is a very beautiful mineral and it really shocked me after finding out that jade products had such a great environmental impact. May I ask if the Chinese have considered any alternatives to jade pendants?
Hi Sarah-Ann,
Thanks for reading! I tried to do some searching on the internet, but I was unable to find much information on alternatives. Jade has a very special meaning in Chinese culture and it would be very difficult to replace it with how deep-rooted the beliefs are. Furthermore, some may shun alternatives thinking that they would not bring the same value or efficacy when compared to jade. It is a very interesting question to explore though as jade deposits would eventually run dry with current demand trends and so some might look towards exploring alternatives in the future. Maybe some form of synthetic jade could be made?
-Jun Yu