THE MYSTERIES OF JADE

Few precious stones are as rich in legends as jade. In China, a proverb says that it is better to be a shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery. This proverb illustrates the great importance of this stone. This statement, on the other hand, is supported by a very interesting story. In 552, the Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei dynasty was overthrown by his Prime Minister Gao Huan, who, when on the throne, established the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Then, to stablish his power and finally remove the former emperor, Gao Huan had him and his three children murdered. Time passed and after a few years of reign, a solar eclipse occurred. It was a very bad omen in China, and out of fear, to conjure luck, the Emperor Gao Huan fearing that this celestial phenomenon announced the end of his reign decided to kill the 700 members of the clan of the Emperor Xiaojing’s 44 families. These people were contacted and they met to devise a plan in order to escape from this doom. Yuán Jing, one of the family members of the fallen emperor had the idea to change his name and take Gao’s as a symbol of oath. But Yuán Jing’s cousin rejected this idea and said, “I’d rather be a shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery.” Unfortunately, if this phrase was recorded in the annals, it did not spare the brave cousin.

Bian He took his treasure again and stood at the castle gate crying all the tears from his body during 7 days. King Wen after 7 days, knowing the history of Bian He, eventually agreed to divide this jade. So they were surprised to discover the pure jade. This jade, well known still today, was named “Jade He” in honor of Bian He. To compensate his pain and injury, he received 16 cities in exchange for this magnificent treasure.

To illustrate the infinite value of jade, we tell in China another story. In 650 BC, a man named Bian He of the State of Chu observed one day a majestic phoenix landing on a mountain ridge. Then, according to the Chinese mythology, the phoenix only lands on jade stones. The man then took his pilgrim stick and climbed the mountain. At the summit, Bian He found a beautiful piece of raw jade. Proudly, he went back with his discovery and immediately took it to their king Li. In order to verify the authenticity of the stone, the king went to one of their skilled craftsmen, expert in jade. But he said that that jade had no value.

Then, to punish Bian He for having caused this horrible disappointment to the king, he made him amputate the left foot. When the next monarch, King Wu came to the throne, again, convinced of the value of this stone, Bian He presented his jade to the new king. But unfortunately, he was not convinced. And again, to punish Bian He for having caused another disappointment to the new monarch, they made him amputate this time, the right foot. Time passed and King Wen agreed to his return to the throne.

This story shows that jade is invaluable (more than two feet!) And which also symbolizes the absolute perseverance. Good luck, object of protection, lucky amulet or symbol of immortality, in China still today, jade has strong values and that nobody happens to go close a deal or an important business, without having in their pocket or on themselves, a piece of jade

In Central America, jade was the shamans’ stone, the gentlemen’s, it was a symbol of strength. And so it was in China. Jade was sensitive to contain in it the essence of Heaven and Earth. It was a means of communication used by the Shamans to communicate with the gods. A specific type of jade was associated with each God respectively.

Jade was considered the one to encompass the qualities of Yin and Yang, the qualities of Heaven and Earth. For the Taoists, the Jade Emperor was a God who directed other Gods. The Taoist alchemists conjured jade liquor, which for them was a milky river that came down from the mountains, which crystallized in stone after 1000 years. According to this belief, grind this jade and drink it, allowed people to live “a thousand years”.

To preserve the body of the dead, Liu Sheng, the leader of the Zhongshan State (113 A.C.) was buried in a jade suit composed of 2,498 pieces of jade sewn together with gold thread .