Calm Spirit/Ying Yu Jade China 2008
Our last day in China! We walked to the Bank of China to exchange currency for our final day of shopping. The park was busy with people exercising, mostly older people because younger people work. These park exercise equipment are designed for adults, and every time we passed this section of the park, people were using them.
Shamian Park was also busy, many people practicing many kinds of exercise, from traditional tai chi groups, fan form, sword form, to lone practitioners of qigong, and dancers, and racket players. I wrote about Shamian Park on our last visit in 2006. It's one of my favorite parks in China, interesting blend of the European culture with Chinese culture.
We took a taxi to the Guangzhou jade market, and we were both so tired we fell asleep and the taxi driver woke us up. That was a little scary, but we've been busy and night time feels like daytime, and daytime feels like night time with the 12 hour time difference. My brain was tired of thinking in two languages. We stopped by a seller who was selling jade bangles with 24k gold mosaic, one style was tiny dragons, and the other style was floral. A friend who wears 24k gold Indian bangles with her jade had asked me to look for a different style of jade with gold, but I couldn't find it, and these were really nice, and looked good with my gold bangles, so I wanted to get two. However, the bangles in our small 53-54mm size were not good quality jade, and the rest were too big. This is a new style, so maybe next time I will find some. They were about twice the price of the jadeite bangles, but I would have liked one. The seller wouldn't let me take a photo.
We went back to our "pengyou" from whom we bought a large quantity of bangles on Saturday, and I told her I wanted a little better quality today, as it was final purchases. She took me by the arm, and led us out of the main jade market, down the streets and alleys, across the main road, and through the jade building on the other side of the street to another shop that has more of the retail quality jades. I was worried that now the pieces would be too expensive, but she another another woman pulled out from under tables, behind counters, excellent quality jade bangles, "chimed" them all, and they were all certified "A".
I filled up a basket, really getting worried about what the price would be, but she gave me her best prices, exactly what I was willing to pay for them. As soon as we entered this shop, I saw a jade bangle that looked like my size with icy white and imperial green, and oval shaped, but more expensive that I would want to pay, and near the end of our bargaining, I told her I'd agree to her price if she sold the one I wanted for a certain price, and we all agreed, so I got my special jade bangle!
Oval 56mmx49mm13mm
wide, fits like 52mm
She had two pieces of rare "chalk blue" jade, some lao pit also. These are exactly what I hoped to purchase with the last of the money for jade shopping.
Fei cui, chalk
blue hues and Lao pit jadeite bangle bracelets
We took one last stroll through the jade market, and I wanted to watch the carvers one more time, and behind the jade market I found another alley that I hadn't seen before. And guess what! It had all the fake jades, C grade jades, and "antique" jades you can find on ebay! In fact, they were "making" antique jade, getting it really dirty with filth from the alley. It can be purchased very cheaply, and when the sellers saw "this American" they got excited and even knew some English, about how "Americans like this kind", and "this is for Hawaii" (bright green and lavender dyed and large sizes). Interesting to look at, but not for Ying Yu Jade.
These are the
other two jade bangles I purchased for myself during the week:
Lao pit jadeite, Angel and I each purchased one, plus
some to sell
51mm flat inside, 15mm wide "cuff" - I love this one!
"Glass
jade" oval 55mx48mm, 10mm wide, fits like 51.5mm
Leaving the jade market, smelling the incense from the Buddhist temple, looking at all the jade pieces for sale and wondering if they all get sold, is mind boggling. The sound of people below blends with the sound of the jade carvers working above the booths, sometimes bringing in newly carved jade pieces to sell. When people ask me if the jade they buy is made by someone who's human rights are violated, I have to say in all honesty that I have seen jade carving done as a family business, relatives and friends who work together. A friend who has a jade business told me that jade business he runs honestly and compassionately has always been good for him and his family and brought him good fortune and luck. I feel close to the source when I buy jade from these family businesses, and I can offer the best quality and good prices. I always sell jade bangle bracelets for less than retail for in China. This is the "Dao of Ying Yu Jade" , the way of the Ying Yu Jade business.
Our last dinner in China, we splurged and ate in the White Swan Hotel, the international buffet, with a view of the Pearl River. There was quite a variety, and very elegant. In China, most of the hotel employees live in the hotel, often sharing a bed with other employees who have different shifts. They are often from poor countryside families, coming to the city to earn money to send to their families. By living in the hotel, they have a place to work, live and eat, and they look very attractive in their uniforms and seem proud of their jobs. Most are quite rigid, because if they break any rules they probably get fired, and these kind of jobs are good status for them.
Back at the hotel, I looked at all the jade I purchased, and organized it from most expensive to least expensive, and by my favorites, and started packing the "best" into the carry on luggage. When that got full, I divided the rest between the two suitcases. We didn't buy as much as I had intended, but that means there will be another buying trip to get more! We had to get up at 4 AM to get ready to leave for the airport for an early flight, Guangzhou, to Tokyo, to Detroit, to Orlando. 28 hours travel time. And time goes twice as slow on that long flight! It was wonderful to finally see the twinkling lights of Orlando as our plane came in for a landing. China doesn't "twinkle" because of the air pollution. But China has jade, and that balances it out,
There's still more, a commentary
Jade Bangle Bracelets web site
