She Tai Cui

She Tai Cui

　　A specialty of Inner Mongolia—She Tai Cui—is produced in the Zha’er Mountain Range within the Inner Mongolian geotectonic axis (the highest peak of the Yin Mountains in Inner Mongolia is located near Da Shetai in Wulate Qianqi). Its highest elevation reaches 1,851 meters. According to authoritative testing, it formed between 1.8 billion and 2.4 billion years ago, making it the oldest jade in China. Recognized as a treasure among hard jade by well-known experts in China’s geological and jewelry fields. Among the jade family, She Tai Cui stands out for its ancient age, high hardness, rich color variety, dense texture, bright luster, and large individual size, astonishing experts, scholars, and industry insiders alike. The China Geological Museum has included “She Tai Cui” samples in its national treasure collection. Some experts even believe that the “He Shi Bi” jade may have come from “She Tai Cui.” “She Tai Cui” is China’s only open-pit jade mine and the most valuable jade discovered in the country’s 5,000-year civilization history.

　　 Specialty Culture: She Taijun, whose given name was Saihua and title was Tai, was indeed a real historical figure. Originally surnamed “She” but originally “Zhe,” the heroic She Taijun of the Yang Family Generals saw her husband and several sons, including her daughter Yang Bajie, die in battle. To prevent her descendants from meeting early deaths in war, she resolutely changed her inauspicious surname “Zhe” to “She,” symbolizing abundant blessings and prosperity for her offspring. She Saihua was born during the Qingtai era of the Later Tang Dynasty (year 934). Her great-grandfather once served as the prefect of Lanzhou (present-day Shenmu County, northern Shaanxi, about ten li north) under the Later Tang, affiliated with Li Keyong’s forces. Her grandfather, Zhe Congyuan, was appointed by Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang in 930 as the prefect of Fuzhou (present-day Fugu County, Shaanxi). Her father, Zhe De, served as a regional military commander (in present-day Da Shetai, Wulate Qianqi, Inner Mongolia), establishing Zhe King City to resist Khitan invasions. She Taijun’s father, She Deyi, was a man from Yunzhong (present-day Datong, Shanxi) during the Five Dynasties period. Coming from an official family, he served as a regional military commander in Fuzhou during the Later Han, residing in the Fuzhou region, resisting foreign invasions and establishing the famed military household known as the “She Family Army.” Influenced by her family, She Taijun was well-versed in both literary and martial arts, known for her deep sense of justice. She enjoyed horseback riding, archery, sword dancing, and saber wielding, and she mastered a unique skill called “Flying Chain Hammer,” which was as swift and unpredictable as a meteor, nearly impossible to defend against. In 973 AD, the second year of the Tianfu era of the Later Jin, the Yang and She families formed a military alliance. During their joint efforts to resist the Liao and defend their homeland, they forged a deep friendship. Both families were from the northern regions, belonged to the same rank of ten distinguished generals, and were well-matched in status, so She Deyi arranged for his daughter to be betrothed to Yang Ye from childhood.

　　 She Taijun and Yang Ye grew up together like childhood sweethearts, and their shared wartime experiences and aspirations laid a solid emotional foundation. One autumn, the Khitan sent 50,000 troops to invade Fuzhou. At the time, She Deyi was bedridden with illness. After seeking her father’s approval, She Taijun, on one hand, used the threat of the Khitan envoy delivering a challenge letter to her advantage, delaying the battle; on the other hand, she urgently sent for help from Huoshan King Yang Xin. The Khitan forces were ultimately defeated under the combined assault of the two formidable anti-Khitan armies led by the Shes and the Yangs. This great victory earned praise from both her father She Deyi and the Yang family. After the battle, Yang Ye and She Taijun developed deeper mutual respect and admiration. Sharing a passion for martial prowess, the two agreed to engage in a friendly weapons contest. Riding double horses and wielding spears and swords, they battled in the fields south of Fuzhou City. They fought blow for blow, neither wanting to lose nor to hurt the other. After numerous rounds, Yang Ye thought, “As a man, I can’t let my wife defeat me,” so he deliberately left an opening and pretended to flee. She Taijun chased after him relentlessly, and when they reached the front of the Seven Star Temple, Yang Ye seized the moment and executed the Yang family’s signature move, the “Turning Horse Spear,” knocking She Taijun off her horse with a thrust to her battle robe. Though unseated, She Taijun fought back by throwing her Flying Chain Hammer, tangling Yang Ye and pulling him off his horse as well. Both fell to the ground, concerned for each other’s safety. Yang Ye tried to inspect She Taijun’s battle robe for injuries, and noticed a piece of emerald-green jade pendant around her waist. He asked what it was. She Taijun explained that it was obtained from a jade mountain beyond the Pass, carved over many days by the family’s craftsmen, but its name was unknown. To please his fiancée, Yang Ye casually named it “She Tai Cui.” When they later married, She Taijun gave her beloved “She Tai Cui” to her husband, wishing for his loyalty and safe journeys in battle. Later, when people discovered the jade mine at the site of their fierce battle, they named the unearthed jade “She Tai Cui” in her honor. Since then, She Tai Cui has come to symbolize strength, loyalty, passion, beauty, success, and good fortune.

　　 Specialty Identification:

　　 1. Color: Experts in jade place great importance on color. Color is not only a key criterion for evaluating the quality of jade but also the main basis for classifying types of jade. Although She Tai Cui’s color may not be the most outstanding among all jades, its uniquely rich palette is highly prized.

　　 Compared to hard jade from other regions in China and abroad, She Tai Cui offers a wider range of hues and forms its own distinct series. She Tai Cui jade features three basic tones—white, bluish-green, and emerald green—as well as some transitional colors such as bluish-white, grayish-white, bean green, and dark green. Industry insiders say that the white variant of She Tai Cui rivals Hetian white jade in quality, while its emerald variant is said to be only slightly inferior to fine jadeite, making it an extremely precious mid- to high-end jade.

　　 2. Hardness: Hardness is one of the key indicators in identifying She Tai Cui. The hardness of a mineral refers to its resistance to being penetrated by other objects—a mechanical property. There are generally two types of hardness: (1) relative hardness, also called Mohs hardness, which is a scratch hardness; (2) absolute hardness, also known as indentation hardness, measured by the weight a mineral surface can withstand. The Mohs hardness of She Tai Cui ranges between 6.9 and 7.2, varying slightly by variety. Generally, white jade is slightly harder than emerald jade. In the jewelry industry, hardness is commonly used as a key criterion to distinguish gemstones from jade. Gemstones typically have a hardness above 7.3 on the Mohs scale, while jade usually falls between 4 and 7.2. With its high hardness and excellent polishability, She Tai Cui is easy to preserve and holds certain collectible value.

　　 3. Density: Density refers to the weight of jade per unit volume. The density of She Tai Cui, measured using small samples, ranges from 2.65 to 2.85. Slight variations exist between varieties: white jade is 2.85, bluish-white jade is 2.65, and emerald jade is 2.7.

　　 4. Transparency: Transparency refers to the extent to which jade allows visible light to pass through, mainly related to how much light the jade absorbs. Mineralogically, it is generally divided into four categories: transparent, translucent, slightly translucent, and opaque. She Tai Cui is slightly translucent—under normal conditions, light can pass through, but objects behind it remain indistinct.

　　 5. Luster: Luster refers to the jade’s ability to reflect light. She Tai Cui has a glassy luster. This luster is neither too strong nor too weak—not as sharp as crystal nor as dull as wax—offering a smooth, delicate, and oily sheen.