City of Jade

Last updated 2026-11-08 — For thousands of years, the Chinese have regarded jade as both ceremonial ware and ornamentation, especially among nobility and royalty, who saw it as a symbol of status and thus wore it on their person. As a result, a large community of jade artisans gathered in the Huashi area near Chongwenmen in Beijing, making the city the center of China’s jade industry. The jade trade was once a relatively prestigious profession in old Beijing, with its master craftsmen held in high esteem. Workers were well compensated and referred to as “gentlemen.” The industry also had strict standards — apprenticeships alone lasted as long as seven years. Today, Beijing’s jade artisans, including a number of master crafts and arts professionals, are mostly scattered across craft factories or shops. Yet they continue to uphold traditional styles of craftsmanship, such as “assessing the material to determine design, adapting artistry to the stone, and skillfully using natural color variations,” techniques that remain popular to this day. The Beijing Jade Factory once carved a matchbox-sized “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity” pendant. Despite its tiny size, it intricately features relief carvings of a dragon, phoenix, butterfly, and double happiness symbols, conveying extraordinary depth within its small dimensions. Another masterpiece is “Stealing the Immortal Herb”: Lady White, dressed in red against a white background, is shown dashing forward with a black ganoderma lucidum in her mouth. What’s truly astonishing is that all the colors in the jade carving come from the stone’s natural hues. Beijing jade art can be broadly divided into two categories: larger pieces, including jade incense burners, vases, tea sets, figurines, and animals — some jade peaches are even as large as real trees. It’s common to see one or two large jade vases displayed in reception halls, adding both elegance and value. The smaller pieces include rings, necklaces, seals, tobacco pipes, and brooches. Some heart-shaped necklaces are incredibly delicate yet exquisitely crafted. (Beijing)