China Travel Forum

[jadelover]

hello guys
end of April i will be in Xinjiang china, i will visit urumqi ,kashgar(kashi) and hotan(hetian) , it is said hotan is hometown of jade ,is that true ?
i love jade and i would like to buy some good jade bracelets and so on
where is the best place for jade good price/good quality?
thanks

[Aynur]

The jades from Xinjiang are call HeTian Jade(和田玉 in Chinese), they are beautifull and shining . Good Jade is priceless. Xinjiang Hotan Jade is divided into Sheep fat Jade, which is regarded as the best one, also Ink Jade and Green Jade. The Sheep Fat is white and without blemish, the ink Jade is black and transparent, and mainly used for jade sculptures,such as rings,bracelets,seals and other things. The green Jade os of the highest value, with its clear jadeite qualities. Hotan Jade has been enjoying a reputation since ancient time. Its history can be traced back to 12000 years ago and long before the silk road, the silk road earliest name is called Jade Road from south of the Takelamakan Desert. According to the Historians, the jade was introduced to central part of China along the Silk Road( Jade Road), and was treasured by feudal emperors as a valued tribute from the western region. It also can be used as chinese medicine to protect people's health and make women beauty and keeps evils away no question about it is function is magic for people.That is why chinese regarded Jade as God.
You can ask your travel agency to visit Jade factory and some shop in Hotan .

[Omar]

The better places for jade products in beijing for foreign guests are hongqiao market(upstairs, don't go to the understairs, or you will find that is a seafood market!) and panjiayuan market. Comparing the two places, my suggestion is Panjiayuan market located in Eastern three ring road.

In hongqiao market, I found many foreign guests there shopping and the price is high. The salegirls speak english well. In Panjiayuan market, a few of foreign guests and many chinese(many of them are wholesalers),I found the price is suitable here, of course you can bargain there with a calculator in your hand if you meet the difficulty of language. And if you have time, go to the both of them, do the comparison of the price. Think a lot before making the decision!

[Guest]

I was just in Beijing and did buy a Jade present for someone while I was there.
I found a really cool arts and crafts market on Wangfujing Dajie, its on the east side of the street, I can't remember exactly where though-- I think right where Wangfujing turns into a pedestrian-only street (when you're coming from the south where the subway station and crystal mall is). It has 6 floors of a lot of really cool stuff. I'd recommend it as a tourist destination on it's own, there are some very high-class and high-quality stuff there!

I ended up buying a Jade sculpture for my parents. The price displayed on the shelf in front of it was nearly 19,000RMB but I ended up paying about 2200RMB for it. They even gave me a certificate of authenticity and a really cool gift box for it. Turns out though, that when I got home I translated the certificate of authenticity and turns out it was just certifying it as fake Jade. Oops. The certificate said "Cave Jade (Serpentine Jade)", which isn't really a Jade at all. It looks great though, and I think was still worth the money, but maybe not to someone who knew better.

Might be worth to get a local to write down the characters for the different types of Jade (Jadeite is I think the best-quality stuff and has dark discolorations on it, another kind has white splotches, which isn't as rare).

Note that all kinds of jade can be dyed to give a darker/richer colour. Real or not, there are some amazing carvings with really cool detail and colour that are well worth the money, as long as you bargain hard enough.

[vanchuck]

When you visit Xinjiang your first stop must be in Beijing if so I recommend one market to you. the Hong Qiao Market, just at the oppsite side of the east gate of Heaven Temple. A big market, various goods sold there, many foreigners like to visit there. but remember, it's also a place to practise your bargain skill. my beijing travel page have some info about that market.