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 DU Bao-Cai
Date: November 10, 2007
Place: Ru Fong Jade Workshop
At that time, there were 70-80 workshops processing Fong Tian jade. Most were for export. Now noone does export. These few years, because of the work of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, now we are all focusing on tourism. The activies many people are doing are the "DIY Jade" and the trips to Bai Bao Stream to search for pieces of jade.
In the Japanese period, Lao Nao Mountain had asbestos rock, it was used for insulation materials for airplanes. Beside the asbestos mine there were green stones. The Japanese didn't realize that this was jade, therefore they just overlooked it. Then in 1965, a student from Cheng Gong University discovered this jade, and soon everyone realized that there was jade here. Then, in the Fong Tien area pretty much every household became involved in processing jade. In the heydays, we even had 30 taxies. People went into the mountain and carried out large pieces of jade on their backs to bring back and sell. From a single rock they could earn a few thousand NT. This amount was the salary other people made from several months of work. Because of this huge profit, these people could even use taxies for their mining work.
Q: Does Fong Tian area still have jade mines?
A: Right now, Lao Nao Mountain still has mines, like the Li Xin Mine and the Li Jian Mine. In the mines there are several jade rock tunnels. But actually right now these mines are not active. That's because there's not export now.
Q: Now, which country does most of the jade in Taiwan's market come from?
A: Now most of this jade is imported. It comes from places like Canada, Siberia and Myanmar. The price comes straight from the quality of the stone itself. Many of the processing plants have moved to China. They make use of cheap Chinese labor to reduce the costs.
Q: What are the steps in processing jade?
A: Generally, the process is like this: rough cut, fine cut, design, rough grind, fine grine and polish. You need to match the texture of the rough jade and its grain to decide what product the stone is suited for. The best quality rock can be used for higher-level products, like bracelets and rings.
A: There are lots of kinds of processed jade products now. These are things like sculptures in the shape of zongzi (folded Chinese rice dumpling) [note: in Wikipedia, just type "zongzi" for more information], double-gourds <>, hair accessories <> necklaces, bracelets, small ornament, ring, name stamp (chop), and the bigger items are things like marble tables and chairs. We just match the quality of the raw jade texture for example if it's even, and whether there any cracks or non-jade veins in the rock. When a piece of jade isn't suitable for processing, we use it as a mini-landscape sculpture. In this way we find a way to use each piece.
Q: Where are the jade mines? How do we get there?
A: From downtown Hua Lian, go south along County Rt. 9. After you've passed Li Yu Lake Scenic Area, and near the Lao Xi Bridge there is a small road on the side. Take that. It goes along Bai Bao Stream and goes up all the way to Li Xin Mine. Bai Bao Stream is a great place to collect raw jade. However, there's basically no good jade left. On the Lao Nao Mountain behind our workshop here, there's also a mine.
Q: How is Fong Tian jade formed?
A: There's 3 kinds of Fong Tian jade. One is the common type (common nephrite), another is "cat eye" jade (cat's eyenephrite), the third is "la guang" (waxy nephrite). You find these 3 types together. Together with Fong Tian jade, you can also find "snake pattern rock" (serpentine) and asbestos.
Q: What makes "cat eye" jade (cat's eyenephrite) have that look of a cat's eye?
A: "Cat eye" jade uses a special processing, cutting and grinding and polishing. It takes a special angle of refraction to get this effect. This is a rarer type of jade, and so it's more expensive.
Q: How did you and your husband decide to become devoted to this work?
A: When my husband finished his military service, it happened to be the hayday of Fong Tien jade. So it was easy to get into this work at that time, and we've simply stayed in this business since then.
Q: What jade products are made now?
Q: How can real and fake Fong Tian jade be distinguished?
A: If the pattern inside the jade is even, and when you knock on it the sound resonates clearly, then it's real. The Fong Tian jade structure is fibrous. Therefore, when compared to other jade, the rock itself is less fragile. It has tensile strength. When it's knocked, it doesn't shatter easily. It's also semi-transparent. That's another way to recognize it.
Q: Of the 3 types of Fong Tian jade, which is the most popular with your customers?
A: Each customer has their own likes and dislikes. The twinkle of the cat's eye jade (cat's eyenephrite), the warm color of wax jade, the pure green color of common jade (common nephrite)" these are really very different. Jade is also used as a kind of amulet against ghosts and spirits. It has very unique energetic and magnetic field. So, you see, each one is different and good, so it really depends on what that client likes.
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Tourist Jade Journeys