China Part XXIV The Jade Factory

Today we went to the Great Wall at Badaling, with a stop first at a Jade factory.

The Jade factory:

OK, to start off, organized tours have their benefits and their drawbacks. They are a great jump-off  point when traveling in an unfamiliar city. They give you a quick overview and you can get an idea of where in that city you would like to return to spend more time. One of the things I most hate the very most about organized tours are the obligatory stops at tourist traps, usually factories where the tour operators make a kickback for delivering the 'patsies', you, to the seller...tourist traps like 'the government run Jade factory'. 

Why a tourist trap? Well, for starters we all know that jade is a semi precious jewel that is highly adored by the Chinese for good luck but did you know that quality Asian Jade and Jadite (more expensive version of Jade) is mostly mined from Myanmar, Yunnan Province in Southern China and Cambodia and so is cheaper in these areas. Consequently, buying jade materials and jewels here is more expensive than in other areas (even so, it is cheaper than Hong Kong, Shanghai or Macau if you really love and must have some jade). A jade piece cost around RMB 90 for a small pendant and up to 30,000 RMB for, say, a big Jade Dragon Carving.

If you happen to be a jewelry fan you might think differently but it is not, I reiterate NOT my thing. That being said you must look on the positive side and try to extract whatever interesting or enjoyable aspects of the experience that you can. Try to make it educational, as it were, for example. In that vein here are some informative facts about Jade.

Jade is a name that was applied to ornamental stones that were being brought to Europe from China and Central America. It wasn't until 1863 that it was realized that Jade was being applied to two different minerals. The two minerals are both exquisite and are hard to distinguish from each other.

Jadeite is almost never found in individual crystals and is composed of microscopic interlocking crystals that produce a very tough material.

 Below is a large chunk of raw Jadeite with a finished Buddah to the right.

Nephrite is actually not a mineral, but a variety of the mineral Actinolite. 

(See more examples: click here) The Nephrite variety is composed of fibrous crystals inter-twinned in a tough compact mass. (Other Actinolite varieties are quite different from nephrite.) It is the less prized but more common of the two types of jade and may be distinguished from jadeite by its splintery fracture and oily luster. Nephrite occurs in low-grade (formed under low-temperature, low-pressure conditions), regionally metamorphosed rocks. Important deposits occur in China, Siberia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Alaska, and Wyoming.

The toughness of jade is remarkable. It has a strength greater than steel and was employed by many early civilizations for axes, knives and weapons. It was later that jade became a symbolic stone used in ornaments and other religious artifacts. Today jade is still highly valued for its beauty. Its many colors are appreciated, but it's the emerald green color that jadeite produces so well, that is highly sought after by artwork collectors. This emerald green jade called "Imperial Jade" is colored by chromium. Other colors are influenced by iron (green and brown) and manganese is believed to produce the violet colors. Nephrite is usually only green and creamy white, while jadeite can have the full range of jade's colors.

Jade has been used for eons in China and Central America as an ornamental and religious stone of deep significance. The Nephrite Jade was used mostly in China, although both have been used in both regions. Nephrite is more abundant than Jadeite and has few color varieties, ranging only from creamy white to green.

Jadeite is found in strongly metamorphosed sodium-rich serpentine rocks, and is named from the Spanish "piedra de ijada" (stone of the side) as it was thought to cure kidney stones and other kidney ailments.

While green Jadeite is most recognizable as Jade, it is more commonly found as a grayish green, and may also be white, a pale blue-gray, or even a pale purple. 

Feel like you're back in school? Sorry, on to lighter things.

We boarded our bus, again, and headed for the northern fringes of the city.

We passed the central Beijing rail station.

Lots of other landmark buildings and some that aren't famous at all.

This one I think is a Marriott Hotel, the one in the background with the gold domes.

The day was another typical heavy smog day. Here are examples of before and after photos (after I adjusted the exposure to compensate for the smog).

This is the very famous and unusual CCTV headquarters.

Next to it was a charred high rise building (visible to the left of the CCTV building above and in the photos below), we were told that it caught fire and burned as it was being constructed. No one was injured but the building was a total loss and left unfinished. This happened just prior to the Olympics, if my memory serves me well.

The roads in Beijing are very busy and crowded. I noticed a lot of Cadillacs, Fords and Buicks on the streets as well as lots of other foreign and domestic  Chinese makes and models. Many portions of the city's ring roads are elevated so that the Expressway runs uninhibited through the city suspended above the street level, theoretically (visible in the photo below to the right).

As I have said before, it was amazing how many skyscrapers were under construction. There were ubiquitous construction cranes visible in the skyline no matter which direction you happened to look.

We caught a glimpse of these window washers on this high rise.

This is the Beijing World Trade Center. It is Beijing's tallest building (China's tallest is in Shanghai) and sports a remarkable resemblance to New York's Twin Towers that were destroyed in the 911 terrorist attacks.

By and by we arrived at the Jade factory.

In the anteroom there were examples of exquisite works of art carved in Jade.

Next we were shown artisans at work.

And finally the showroom and the Jade mongers out for your money.

My sister made a couple of short videos.

Now, a lesson in telling real jade from the fake glass and marble look-a-likes that abound in the tourist shops. 

One of the mainstay tests is that real jade is harder than glass, so if you're unsure, trying to scratch a piece of glass with it. All reputable establishments, it is said, will have a square of glass available for just such a test. If they don't, it is advisable to be skeptical and pass on the purchase. Other methods include checking the uniform purity of the item (complete uniformity is unlikely, since Jade is, after all a stone), see if there are any small air bubbles in the item this is very common in glass replicas. 

There are loads of videos available on the net if you want to spend the time. Here are a couple to whet your appetite:

 #1      #2

I decided to break this up into 2 posts so....

Next: The Great Wall of China at Badaling

Birthday Break and China Puzzle #32.

198

To start puzzle click on picture.

Puzzle will open in new window.

To rotate pieces

select piece with mouse

and use the mouse roller

to rotate the piece.

shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ yǒngyuǎn kuài lè

Sheng ri kuai le!

Means Birthday greetings to you!

In China, the family is the heart of the nation, and children are the heart of the family. Having children is one of the Confucian moral duties. Of all who lack filial piety, the worst is he who has no children.

Before the child's birth there are no celebrations or showers, a practice which dates back to the days when many children died within a few days of birth. Even today a conservative Chinese woman will try to conceal her pregnancy for as long as possible, lest evil spirits discover an impending birth and kill the child. She will think good thoughts, avoid funerals, and may even sleep with knives under her bed. The unborn child may be given a false, "milk" name to confuse or scare away spirits that might mean it harm. To protect the newborn child, the umbilical cord may be wrapped in red paper and hidden somewhere in the household. The mother and child will also be sequestered for the first month of the child's life (zuoyuezi), during which time she is excused from all usual household duties. In conservative households, even the husband may stay away.To announce the baby's birth, a new father will give presents of red-dyed eggs to friends and family, an odd number for a boy, even for a girl; as well as money and wine to his wife's family. The ribbons tied on the wine jar also indicate the gender. Some fathers choose to send out boxes of fruit instead. If you receive such a gift, it is appropriate to send the family gifts of walnut meats, brown sugar, or special cakes made for the purpose; and any money may be honorably returned as a gift.

The first major birth celebration in a child's life is Moon-Yut, the month-old party. (This is sometimes called the "red egg and ginger" party.) There is a smaller celebration prior to the Moon-Yut, on the morning of the third day when the baby gets its first bath, but this is limited to close female friends and relatives. The tub is filled with water boiled with locust branches, and a string of cash tied with red silk is fastened around the tub. Each guest is expected to bring a small gift made of silver for the baby; and also places a piece of fruit or red egg into the bathwater.

But at the Moon-Yut, where the child is finally "locked" to this world with a gold or silver padlock and given their childhood name, all the stops are pulled out, and even the poorest families will invite all their relations to celebrate the child's survival - with one exception. Anyone who is very close to a different happy event (such as a wedding) or sad event (such as a funeral) ought not to attend. The happiness ought to be that of the family alone; and the sadness of others should not sully it. After the second birthday, the pattern reverses: if the  child's birthday happens to coincide with another auspicious event or even with a senior's birthday, it is the child's birthday which will be "overlooked", so as to keep harmony within the family.If you are invited to a Moon-Yut celebration, it is very appropriate to bring gifts of money, enclosed in red envelopes (hong bao) for good fortune. Although the amount of money should be in an even number - odd numbers being reserved for cash given during funerals - four of anything is to be avoided.

Some Chinese families also celebrate the hundredth day of a child's life. Friends and family are expected to bring chicken and fish for the celebration dinner, representing abundance and prosperity, but other gifts are nominal.

The last of the major post-birth celebrations is the first celebrated birthday, when the child turns two years old. It is also called the "second" birthday, with the pattern continuing into future birthdays: this ensures that the child will survive through the next year. A new year will be added with every new year celebration. This system of counting can sometimes be confusing. While the Gregorian calendar is slowly making inroads, traditional Chinese still count birthdays by the number of lunar New Year festivals the child has experienced. Many combine the two celebrations, so that the family birthdays are celebrated during the New Year festival. If the child happens to be born during the New Year festival, this first celebrated birthday will be observed the following year instead.

The first birthday is also celebrated with a feast; and the traditional gift from the parents to the child is a gold ring. It is also traditional for the child to foretell their future. Various items, such as a pen, book, or coin, are placed around the child or in a basket in front of them. The item the child touches first tells what profession he or she will have. Some feed the child a few long noodles to symbolize the solid foods the child is not yet capable of eating regularly, while others use yu char kuei, a long bread. Because the Queen Mother of the West is said to grow peaches of immortality in her garden, peach-shaped buns with a sweet paste of red bean or lotus at their hearts (sou tao, literally "longevity peach") make appropriate gifts, as well as charms, red-dyed eggs, toys and clothing decorated with the guardian tiger, and (of course!) the ubiquitous red envelopes of cash..

Thereafter, birthday gift-giving is not so tightly bound by tradition. While hong bao, red-dyed eggs, and (for older people) wine are always appropriate, more contemporary gifts find an occasional niche as well. Many birthday children are given a new set of clothing prior to the special day. Guests should avoid giving gifts such as shoes or intimate wear, however; or any of the many other gifts which are associated with misfortune either through a similarity of sound or by the manner of their use (such as a handkerchief). Never NEVER give a timekeeping device, such as a watch. The words relating to clocks and timekeeping sound very similar to those for seeking death. Many legends tell of those who died the day after having been given such a gift.

No childhood birthday passes without the traditional morning fare of red-dyed eggs, longevity peaches, and sweet "long life" rice noodles rolled or boiled in sugar. The noodles must never be cut short and every effort must be made to eat them without biting them short, since they represent hoped-for longevity. Many families also add different fruits, such as dates or melons. As the child grows older, the actual birthday are celebrated less and less, until, as an adult, the birthday celebration is usually relegated until the New Year. In fact, it becomes increasingly common for the children to celebrate the birthdays of their parents  and other elders, rather than the other way around. The exceptions are the birthdays which happen on the same animal year as the child's birth, every twelve years, when the pendulum of luck swings to its extremes.

Since 1979, when the one-child policy came into effect, the shape of birthdays has begun to change in China. Increasingly the Little Emperor of the family is overindulged, an entire generation of children growing up without hardship, without any conception of a need for moderation - and consequently rapidly changing the consumption habits of an entire country. In fact, a recent survey has found that modern Chinese families living in major urban areas frequently spend more of their disposable income on the child than on themselves. For many young urban Chinese, birthdays throughout life have become just another excuse to indulge themselves.

In a culture where longevity is desirable and the elderly are valuable, 

the 60th birthday is something special indeed. Not only has the astrological cycle of twelve animals come full circle but so has the astrological cycle of the five elements. Thus, uniquely, the sixtieth year of live is the only year of life where both the animal and element year are exactly the same as the year of birth: and so it marks the key transition between the life of raising children and the beginnings of true wisdom. This and subsequent birthday celebrations for elders, held every ten years, are traditionally given by their now-grown children, in honour of their parents. In general, the older the person, the more extravagant will be the celebration, limited only by the children's combined wealth.

生日快樂

祝你生日快樂
祝你生日快樂
祝你生日快樂
祝你永遠快樂

Birthdays are special occasions in just about every corner of the world. Traditional Chinese birthdays are celebrated a bit differently from birthdays celebrated in Western culture. Most Chinese adults do not celebrate their birthday until they turn 60 years old, and then celebrate every 10 years after that. Also, birthday gifts for Chinese infants, children and elders are often different from the birthday gifts given in the Western culture.

Gifts for an Infant's Birth Day

When a child is born in the traditional Chinese culture, it's already considered one year old. The first real birthday celebration for the infant occurs when he or she is a month old. This Moon-Yit celebration is when the infant is given its first bath. If you're among friends or family invited to this Moon-Yit celebration, it's appropriate to give money as a gift. Money signifies wealth and good fortune. When you give this gift of money, it's appropriate to place it in a red envelope or a red wrapping, as red also signifies good fortune and happiness. Further, you should give even amounts of money, as odd amounts are reserved for funerals.

Birthday Gifts for Children

It might seem a bit confusing, but when the child turns one year old, the Chinese celebrate his second birthday. This birthday includes a ritual in which the child is expected to foretell his own future. The child is placed on the floor surrounded by various symbolic objects that include things like Chinese coins, dolls, Buddha statues, books, pens and utensils. The first item the infant touches is thought to foretell his future. If he picks up a coin, it's thought that he will be blessed with wealth in his future. A doll would signify many children. A book would signify that he will become a very wise and educated person. Appropriate gifts for this birthday celebration again include cash in a red envelope or wrapping, but things such as charms for good luck, toys or clothing featuring tigers (thought to be guardians of safety in Chinese culture), and eggs (a symbol of a change in life and a harmonious life), which are also dyed red for more good fortune, are also common.

Gifts for the Elderly

In traditional China, the birthdays of the elderly are often thought to be more important than the birthdays of the young. This is counter to the Western culture point of view. A 60th birthday celebration is a particularly special celebration in Chinese culture, as it is a time when the astrological cycle of 12 animals and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water come together. Appropriate gifts for Chinese elders are usually items that signify longevity, including old miniature trees, wine, packages of long noodles and homemade peaches (which aren't really peaches, but steamed wheat shaped like peaches) and, of course, money in red envelopes. These gift items are given in groups of two or four, depending on the wealth of the giver.

So anyway, here's to one more year for yours truly.

Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday Blondinko.

Happy birthday to me.

Yowsah!! Yowsah!!

China Puzzle #31

This week's puzzle challenge for you to assemble:

Puzzle #31
The Great Wall of China

192

To start puzzle click on picture.

Puzzle will open in new window.

To rotate pieces

select piece with mouse

and use the mouse roller

to rotate the piece.

China Part XXIII - Tiananmen Square

Exploring Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China.

After lunch our first glimpse of the square was driving past the old Qianmen Gate, from the Ming Dynasty, on the south end of the square.

Qianmen Gate

Qianmen is the modern name for the gate south of the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square. Originally named Zhengyangmen (The Gate of Straight Positivity), the gate lies on the same north-south axis as the imperial path through the Forbidden City, and it was the route the emperor took when he went to Tiantan (The Altar of Heaven), in the outer city, to make offerings. It is a double gate and the smaller south gate is closed to the public, but the north gate has a very interesting museum on the history of Old Beijing. One of the more interesting displays is a model of the city during Qing times.

(Above: A panoramic view looking south to the Archery Tower. 

Below: Looking north toward Mao's Mausoleum with the Great Hall of the People to the left and the National Museum to the right.)

The old city gates had a standardized design: two towers with a walled courtyard in between. Except for Zhengyangmen, the outer tower had no gate. Rather, there were gates through the left and right hand walls of the courtyard that allowed passage to and from the outside. An arched tunnel leading into the city was carved through the gates. This arrangement made the gates easy to defend: An enemy trying to breach the gate would be surrounded by high walls and be under a constant barrage of arrow fire. 

(Below are various views of the Archery Tower just south of Qianmen Gate.)

 

 Our bus dropped us off in front of the Chinese National Theater, 'The Egg', just west of the gate and Tienanmen Square.

It is a pretty impressive piece of architecture. Here are a few more photos from different perspectives. It is reported to have cost $400 million to build.

We walked eastward past the the impressive concert hall and The Great Hall of the People and crossed a very busy street, Nanchang Jie, and entered the fabled square. Below is our guide, Joan, leading us like a mother hen with her Utah Jazz flag.

Below is a map of the Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City and the surrounding area. (For a panorama click here.)

We gathered together and got some instruction from our guides before being turned loose on the locals and the other tourists. They told us it is the largest public square in the world. We were not given much time, certainly not enough time to visit any of the buildings on the square. We  had about 20 minutes, just enough time to take a stroll and take photos of the sites and meet up at the flagpole on the north end in front of the main gate to the Forbidden City. We would be returning to tour the Forbidden City at a later date.

 

All of these massive red and gold columns lining the east and west extremities of the square, were holdovers from the 60th anniversary celebrations of the founding of The Peoples Republic of China.(Read more here)

The first stop for us was Mao's Mausoleum. 

 

 In front of the building were the ubiquitous, soviet style, socialist workers statuary.

 

Next we focused on the Monument to the People's Heroes located dead center in the massive square. The Monument of the People's Heroes is the central feature of the Square. Built in the late 1950s to commemorate those who had died for change and revolution in China from 1840, its northern face has a calligraphic inscription by Mao Zedong which reads: "The People's Heroes Live On Forever". Around it, in bas relief, is an iconographic representation of highlights of the Chinese Revolution.

 

Directly to the east was the Chinese National Museum.

 

 North of the monument were some huge video monitors which flashed continuously changing images.

We chatted with locals and took photos. Many of them asked if they could take photos of us (they don't see that many blue eyed blondes or people with white hair like mom's) and we in turn took photos of them. Below is a cute little boy in the popular crotchless pants.

Here are a couple more examples.

There were also the military guards standing and/or marching about at various points...

and the tourists that just wanted to look like them, like Professor Bell here. I bought one of these hats as well. Mine was a gift for my boss back in the states, I told him it was because he was our 'supreme leader' and befitting of his iron-fist management style.  

 

At the two northern corners of the square, east and west, there were two more huge video monitors (note the size of the cars in front of the screens). 

Forming the northern boundary of the TianAnMen Square is the most popular tourist attraction in China, The Forbidden City, the historic royal palace complex of the ruling dynastic families. Commoners were not allowed inside the compound.

We would not be visiting the Forbidden City this evening but would return another day when would have more time. Below is a vintage photo of TianAnMen Square and the main gate to the palace, before its modernization.

 

The air was very polluted throughout our stay in Beijing (all of China for that matter). I took many of my photos and on the computer, later on, adjusted the exposure in order to brighten them up. Here below is an example of how much of a difference it made. The before and after photos of Chairman Mao above the entrance to the Forbidden City give you a good idea of how hazy it was due to the pollution.

The square bustled with local tourists and foreigners. We made our way to the TianAnMen Gate (the one with the Mao portrait) and entered into the outer plaza in front of the entrance to the Imperial Palace.

 

Just to the west of the main gate of the Forbidden City is a small park, this was our next destination. Zhongshan (ZhongShan is SunYatSen's alternate name) Park was chosen as part of our tour because most of those in our tour group were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a.k.a. Mormons. It was in Zhongshan Park in 1921, that David O. McKay, who would later become the Prophet and President of the Church along with his associate, Hugh G. Cannon, dedicated the land of China for the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They did so at the foot of a particular Cyprus tree which bears a plaque commemorating the event.

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Cannon's memories of the date:

Sunday, January 9, dawned sunny but cool; as the companions left their hotel they walked “with no definite goal in mind,” and entering that portion of the Imperial Palace grounds known as the “Forbidden City,” they felt guided to a spot in a cypress grove where they could be alone. “A reposeful peace hovered over the place which seemed already hallowed,” Brother Cannon recorded. “One felt it was almost a profanation to tread thereon with covered head and feet. Two men were in sight, but they seemed oblivious to our presence, and they soon left the grove. There, in the heart of a city with a million inhabitants, we were entirely alone, except for the presence of a divinely sweet and comforting Spirit.” Elder Cannon continued:

Elder David O. McKay, in the authority of the Holy Apostleship, dedicated and set apart the Chinese Realm, for the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, whenever the Church authorities shall deem it advisable to send out missionaries for that purpose. Never was the power of his calling more apparent in his utterances. He blessed the land and its benighted people, and supplicated the Almighty to acknowledge this blessing. He prayed that famine and pestilence might be stayed, that the government might become stable, either through its own initiative, or by the intervention of other powers, and that superstition and error, which for ages have enveloped the people, might be discarded, and Truth take their place. He supplicated the Lord to send to this land broad-minded and intelligent men and women, that upon them might rest the spirit of discernment and the power to comprehend the Chinese nature, so that in the souls of this people an appreciation of the glorious gospel might be awakened. It was such a prayer and blessing as must be recognized in heaven, and though the effects may not be suddenly apparent, they will be nonetheless real.

 

Cannon, “Chinese Realm,” 443–45; see also Middlemiss, Cherished Experiences, 47–50.

 

Mom/Granny and Raylene (wearing my soviet style hat) took the occasion to pose for photos with the tree.

Running the length of the park on its north side was a part of the moat which surrounds the Forbidden City. It was lined by large, stately trees and the grounds were filled with colorful flowerbeds. There were plenty of benches where one could rest or just sit and enjoy the peaceful solitude and serenity, amazingly available in such a huge, bustling city with its teeming millions.

 

 Toward the western end of the park we came across artists painting the beauty that surrounded us.

Just before exiting the park there were more flowerbeds, rock gardens and a couple of sleepy pussycats.

Next up:

A Jade factory and The Great Wall