The Four Famous Jades of China (四大名玉) — and the 'King' from Abroad, Burmese Jadeite

Introduction

"Sì dà míng yù" (四大名玉), the four famous jades of China, is not an ancient canonical concept. The list found today in books and museums coalesced after 1949. It comprises only four stones mined within China's borders: 和田玉 (hé tián yù), 独山玉 (dú shān yù), 岫玉 (xiù yù) and 蓝田玉 (lán tián yù). No imperial decree or historical treatise ever formally established this quartet. On the market, however, there is another stone — Burmese jadeite 缅甸翡翠 (miǎn diàn fěi cuì), which falls outside the "four jades" (all of which are Chinese), yet is hailed by Chinese connoisseurs as "the king of jades" 玉中之王 (yù zhōng zhī wáng).

Let us proceed in order.

The Four Famous Jades (四大名玉)

Hé tián yù (和田玉) — Hetian Nephrite

Mineral: nephrite (tremolite-actinolite), fibrous structure, exceptional toughness. Mohs hardness: 6.0–6.5.

Region: Xinjiang, Kunlun Mountains, Yurungkash River (白玉河 — "White Jade River") and Karakash River (墨玉河 — "Black Jade River").

Colors: The highest grade is 羊脂白玉 (yáng zhī bái yù), "mutton-fat jade" — a milky white with a subtly warm tone. Also green, yellow 黄玉, black 墨玉, and "sugar" 糖玉 (with brown veining).

Status: The stone of Chinese civilization. As early as the Liangzhu culture (c. 3300–2300 BCE), it was fashioned into ritual jades — the cong 琮 and the bi 璧. Later, it was used for imperial seals of the Han dynasty. Today, hé tián yù is the most expensive of the four: top material ranges from $1,000 to $10,000+ per gram. The same term 和田玉 is also applied to imported material — Russian 俄料 (é liào) and Korean 韩料 (hán liào); these are cheaper.

The classic river deposits near Hotan — pebble "seed jade" (籽料 zǐliào) from the Yurungkash and Karakash rivers — are essentially worked out. There is no industrial prospecting or mining there today; prospectors search the riverbeds by hand, finds are rare and expensive. The very same mineral (tremolite-actinolite nephrite) is mined all across Xinjiang along the Kunlun and Altyn-Tagh ranges: Yecheng/Kargilik (叶城), Qiemo/Cherchen (且末), Ruoqiang (若羌) counties and others. This is mountain material "山料" (shānliào) — mineralogically the same Hetian nephrite. Qiemo county produces most of Xinjiang's output today. The Chinese national standard (GB/T 16552) defines 和田玉 by mineral composition, not locality — so Xinjiang shānliào, plus Qinghai, Russian and Korean material, all legally sell as "Hetian jade". The name now denotes a stone type, not geography. Price difference: river seed jade is the collector top tier; shānliào is more affordable at the same composition.

Dú shān yù (独山玉) — Dushan Jade

Mineral: Anorthosite rock — neither nephrite nor jadeite. Mohs hardness: 6.0–6.5.

Region: Dushan Hill near the city of Nanyang, Henan Province.

Colors: Polychrome — a very rare trait. Green, white, purple 独山紫, yellow, red — often in a single piece. Green dú shān yù is easily mistaken for jadeite.

Status: Mining since the Neolithic era. Today, it is used for affordable carvings, vases, and inexpensive jewelry. It occupies a middle market niche.

Xiù yù (岫玉) — Xiuyan Jade

Mineral: Serpentine. Mohs hardness: 2.5–5.5 (the softest of the four). Semi-translucent, with a greasy luster.

Region: Xiuyan County, Liaoning Province.

Colors: Green tones, from pale chartreuse to deep emerald.

Status: The oldest of the Chinese jades in terms of artifacts — it was used to carve "pig-dragon" figurines 猪龙 (zhū lóng) of the Hongshan culture (c. 4700–2900 BCE). Today, it is the cheapest stone of the quartet, with prices below $1 per gram. Its softness makes it suitable for large carvings and costume jewelry.

Lán tián yù (蓝田玉) — Lantian Jade (Not Blue!)

Mineral: Marble with silicates. Mohs hardness: 3–4. The character 蓝 (lán, "blue") in the county name Lantian ("blue field") might make readers expect a blue stone — but the stone is pale yellow-green with no blue; the name comes from the place, not the color.

Region: Lantian County, Shaanxi Province.

Status: Famous due to a literary line by Lǐ Shāngyǐn in his poem "Jǐn sè" (c. 858): "蓝田日暖玉生烟 — Warm sun over Lántián, and the jade gives birth to mist." The historical quarries were exhausted by the Song dynasty. Today, it is primarily used for souvenirs, statuettes, and tiles. In some museum-commercial versions of the list, lán tián yù is replaced by turquoise — more on this below.

Burmese Jadeite (缅甸翡翠) — The King of Jades

Mineral: Jadeite (pyroxene). Mohs hardness: 6.5–7. Glassy luster, higher toughness and strength than nephrite.

Region: The Hpakant mine, Kachin State, Myanmar. This area supplies approximately 95% of the world's jadeite.

History in China: The first written mention dates to 1387 (Ming dynasty). A rare stone, with limited imports. Mass influx began only towards the end of Emperor Qianlong's reign (regular tribute from 1784). Surge in popularity in the 19th century, aided by Empress Dowager Cixi, who was a prolific collector of jadeite. The highest grade is called "imperial green" 帝王绿 (dì wáng lǜ).

Why is jadeite not among the "four jades"? Because "sì dà míng yù" is a list of stones mined within China. Jadeite is imported, from Myanmar. Hence, it is excluded. Yet on the market, it is the "king of jades": vivid colors (especially green, which is almost unknown in nephrite), patronage of the Qing court, superior hardness and luster, and an established supply chain.

Turquoise (绿松石)

Mineral: Turquoise — a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum. Mohs hardness: 5–6. Opaque, with a waxy luster. Porous — it darkens over time from contact with skin oils, "living" with its owner.

Region: Zhushan 竹山 and Yunxian 郧县, Hubei Province — 70–80% of Chinese production, among the world's major deposits.

Colors: From sky-blue to greenish. "Porcelain" turquoise — dense, high-hardness — is most valued. A web of dark veinlets is called "spiderweb."

Status: An unbroken history from Shang-dynasty bronze inlays (c. 1200 BCE). In some modern reference works, it replaces lán tián yù in the "four jades" — there is no official resolution. Today, it is one of the most popular stones in wénwán (文玩) culture; prices for dense, high-grade material have multiplied in recent decades.

Comparative Table

Popular Item Types

In Chinese wénwán culture, objects made of stone or wood are not simply adornments or souvenirs — they are items to be held, turned over, and carried. These are the real formats:

• Bead bracelets 手串 (shǒu chuàn) — made from hé tián yù beads, turquoise, jadeite; the most common format. Men and women wear them on the wrist, often rolling the beads between their fingers.
• Handheld carvings 手把件 (shǒu bǎ jiàn) — stones meant to be turned over in the hand. A wénwán tradition: the object is not merely displayed, but touched, with fingers working the surface.
• Pendants 吊坠 (diào zhuì) — jadeite and nephrite pieces, on a cord or chain.
• Rings, earrings, and plaque pendants 牌 in jadeite — classic jewelry pieces.
• Carvings and seals from soft stones (xiù yù, lán tián yù) — souvenir segment, affordable.

These formats parallel those in wood wénwán: wénwán walnuts, huánghuālí — bracelets, handheld items.

Care and pánwán

Jade is the pleasant exception among wenwan materials: you essentially cannot get it wrong by handling. No over-playing, no blackening, no exhausting it, no rest schedule to keep. Wear it or don't.

The reason is mechanical. The stone has no oil of its own — it is a mineral, with nothing inside to draw out. Its patina is built from your sweat and sebum, filling the surface micro-topography and oxidising in air into a thin film whose brightness produces that soft diffuse glow. And because the film is thin and largely optical, it has nothing to cure — there is no rest phase, unlike the oily woods such as yabai.

Two inversions from the wood

Water is fine, and required. New Hetian nephrite should be soaked in warm — never hot — water for about twenty minutes, wiped with a clean white cloth, drained, then brushed gently with a soft brush. This removes the industrial paraffin wax applied at the factory for shelf appeal: it sits in the pores and mutes the stone's real character. A two-to-three-hour soak is also given.

A brush is permitted and useful on carved pieces. Occasional light brushing clears dust that would otherwise settle into crevices. The exact opposite of the advice for wood. On plain round beads it is largely optional.

No gloves at all: bare skin is the supply.

Method

文盘 ("civil play") is what you want: clean hands, one to two hours a day, body oils doing the work, first changes visible in three to six months. Colour can also even out over time, particularly in 青白玉 and 糖玉.

武盘 ("martial play"), where beads are made to knock and rub against each other with the accompanying sound, is specifically not recommended — it damages the strand.

Jadeite is much denser and glassier than nephrite and responds far less: with it the goal is preservation rather than transformation. A separate warning about B货 翡翠 — acid-bleached and resin-impregnated — it must never be oiled or heavily handled, as the resin yellows and crazes. Without a certificate it is sensible to treat any jadeite as unknown.

The real risk

Unlike wood, the danger here is not colour but fracture. The stone is tough, but a sharp knock can start an internal flaw that surfaces months later. Remove it before anything physical. No ultrasonic cleaners, no boiling, no sudden temperature changes; keep it away from perfume, alcohol, cleaners and bleach.

How jade sits against the other materials is covered in the pánwán care guide.

Related Articles

• Huánghuālí — The Scholar's Wood
• Wénwán: Walnuts and Study Objects

FAQ

Why is "sì dà míng yù" not an ancient concept? The list appeared in Chinese textbooks and reference works after 1949, as part of systematizing the PRC's mineral resources. No ancient treatise mentions this quartet as a canon.

What is the difference between hé tián yù and fěi cuì (jadeite)? Hé tián yù is nephrite (tremolite-actinolite), which is tough, with a fibrous structure and a matte-silky luster. Fěi cuì is jadeite (pyroxene), harder, with a glassy luster and brighter green. They are two distinct minerals.

Does turquoise belong to the "four jades"? Not in the official list. Some popular publications substitute turquoise (lǜ sōng shí) for lán tián yù due to its ancient history of use (Shang-dynasty bronze inlays), but this is not a universal practice.

Are these stones used in tea ware? Rarely, and then primarily for display pieces. Stone on a tea table is more likely to appear as wénwán figurines placed near the teapot. See: Chinese tea ware.

What is a good first piece to buy? A shǒu chuàn bead bracelet or a shǒu bǎ jiàn handheld carving. They are wearable; xiù yù or dú shān yù are affordable, while turquoise and hé tián yù are pricier.

Why does turquoise darken? It is porous — it absorbs skin oils and darkens over time. This is normal and part of the wénwán aesthetic: a patina as a record of contact with the owner.

Is Hetian jade still mined at the classic river deposits? The classic river deposits near Hotan — pebble "seed jade" (籽料 zǐliào) from the Yurungkash and Karakash rivers — are essentially worked out. There is no industrial prospecting or mining there today; prospectors search the riverbeds by hand. Finds are rare and expensive. The vast majority of Hetian jade now comes from mountain deposits (山料 shānliào) mined across the Kunlun and Altyn-Tagh ranges, especially Qiemo county.