Photo shows a Hunaglong Jade carving in Longling County which is a main production area of Huanglong Jade in Yunnan. [Photo/ Meng Jun]
During the past seven years, the price of Huanglong Jade has soared to nearly ten thousand yuan a kilogram from a few cents. An unprecedented wave of investment has been found in China’s market. As a main producing area in China, Longling County in Yunnan is facing the economic and environmental crisis. Though people’s life standard has been significantly improved, Huanglong County is confronted with problems of the over-exploitation and investment boom.
How to make Huanglong Jade stand out of all jewelries and how to find a way for the development? Longling County has been on its way of the management of the jade market.
Huanglong Jade was regarded as just a kind of common chrismatite before 2004. It was used as ornamental stones in Guangdong province and Guangxi province at the end of last century. Owing to the lack of the resources of the stone, a similar stone was found in Longling County, Baoshan City, Yunnan. Since then, the Huanglong Jade has been drawing the attention of the collectors and businessmen.
The Huanglong Jade produced in Baoshan is yellow and red, which is as hard as emerald. It is suitable for carving into accessories and decorations, and it is commonly regarded as the third best jade in the world after Hetian Jade in Xinjiang province and Burmese emerald. A raw Honglong Jade was sold at a shocking price of over RMB 90 million in Kunming Stone Expo last year.
Lin Jinqiu (林金秋), a trade of Honglong Jade from Fujian province, now sells jade in Longling County. He said: "Huanglong Jade is really a treasure, because for those who engage in the emerald, only half of them may make profits, but nearly 90% of traders engage in Huanglong Jade earn money." The increase of Huanglong Jade is about 20% annually. He mentioned that a trader from Chaozhou in Guangdong province earned at lease RMB 100 million by doing Huanglong Jade business.
Traders stall for Huanglong Jade in a jewelry trading market in Longlong County which is a main production area of Huanglong Jade in Yunnan. [Photo/ Meng Jun]
Some people in the jewelry industry worried that the soaring price of Huanglong Jade will plummet like orchid and Pu’er Tea in the future. By the end of 2009, an association of Huanglong Jade was established to provide an open and fair trading platform. The trade center was officially open to the public on October 22, 2011, which has become the largest trading center of Huanglong Jade.
Since 2009, a total of 12 trades have been made here with a breakthrough trade of RMB 75 million.
After the Huanglong jade minerals were found in Longling County in 2004, many people mined the jade privately and excessively, especially nearly the Supa River which was abundant in Huanglong Jade. Though the government controls the mining of Huanglong Jade, many villagers ignored it.
Owing to the excessive excavating for nearly five years, jade with high quality can hardly be found here. Plants along the 30-km long Pashu River have been havocked badly.
Photo shows Hou Desheng, chairman of Huanglong Jade Association in Longling County which is a main production area of Huanglong Jade in Yunnan. [Photo/ Meng Jun]
"In order to protect and allocate Huangkong Jade properly, an enterprise have been found," said Hou Desheng (侯德升), chairman of Huanglong Jade Association in Longling County.
According to the profit allocation: 65% of the trading income will be allocated to the enterprise and 35% allocated to the government. The share of the government will be used for the management of the mine, 35.2% for the infrastructure construction and local education, and 44.8% for the local villagers. Since the implementation of the allocation system, each family can gain nearly RMB 15,000 a year.
Zhou Dongchuan (周东船), a trader of raw material of Huanglong Jade, introduced that he used to work in a bowl-making factory with an income of RMB 1,800 per month. After changing his job, his income reached to RMB 100 per day.
Huanglong Jade means the financial income of Longling County. There are over 800 private enterprises engaging in the processing and marketing of Huanglong Jade with more than 6,000 employees. Besides, the jade market has fuelled the tertiary industry in Longling County, now there are as many as 2,000 haulage vehicles in the county.
Yang Zhongxing (杨忠兴), a taxi driver in Longling County said owing to the flooding tourists and traders, he can earn about RMB 3,000 a month.
Huanglong Jade is listed in the national standard of natural jade on February 1, 2011.
Well-known Chinese experts have been invited to Longling County on October 26, 2007 for the investigation and assessment of the mine and market. The jade association is cooperating with China University of Geoscience, National Gemstone Testing Center for a report based on Huanglong Jade, including the quality, minerogenetic condition, chemical elements, trace elements and culture.
"We are striving for the qualification standard of Huanglong Jade," said Hou Desheng. The launch of the qualification standard will help Huanglong Jade win market in which some shoddy chrismatites can be found.
A student learns to polish the jade in a school of Longling County which is a main production area of Huanglong Jade in Yunnan.[Photo/ Meng Jun]
Longling County aims to be the largest distributing center of the processing of Huanglong Jade in China. One of the important goals in the development planning is the talents training.
Hou Desheng introduced that jade-carving class has been opened in a vocational senior middle schools and classes with about 30 students have been open in Longxin Town and Longquan Town.
There is a Burmese jade-carving student in Longling County, his parents are engaging in jade business in Ruili City. He dreamed of becoming a jade carving master.
Yin Renlong (尹仁龙), one of the officials in the jade-caving profession in Vocational Senior Middle School in Longling County, said there are over twenty handicapped students in the class and one of them has become a carving master and is running a company in Tengchong County now.
Workers carve the Huanglong Jade in Longling County which is a main production area of Huanglong Jade in Yunnan. [Photo/ Meng Jun]
