Chapter 265 Jade Miners of Kunlun Mountain
“Adila, this is a junior of mine. I brought him here to see the grandeur of the Jade King. Xiao Zhuang, you can just call him Uncle Tian…”
After embracing the newcomer, Gu Lao pulled Zhuang Rui behind him and introduced him to the newcomer.
Zhuang Rui sized up the man. This Uncle Tian was not tall and was a bit thin, but he had a full head of black hair and bright eyes. If you didn't look closely at the wrinkles on his face, he would look like he was only in his early fifties. However, Zhuang Rui knew that he was two years older than Grandpa Gu.
After Zhuang Rui exchanged a few words with Uncle Tian with the courtesy due to a junior, the group headed out of the airport.
When they arrived at the airport, several cars were already waiting. Zhuang Rui and Grandpa Gu were in separate cars, while Zhuang Rui was assigned to an SUV in the back. The driver was a young man from Sichuan named Zhang Dazhi, who was two years younger than Zhuang Rui. He used to be a soldier in Xinjiang, and after retiring, he stayed there to drive. He was very talkative and answered all of Zhuang Rui's questions.
On the way, Zhuang Rui learned that the elderly man from Xinjiang named Adila was a Uyghur, 62 years old, and that was his Uyghur identity. He also had a Han name, Tian Dajun.
In the Xinjiang jade industry, Adila is a legendary figure known to all. People in the industry respectfully call him the "Jade King," which shows his influence in the Xinjiang jade industry.
In the early 1980s, due to thousands of years of mining, Xinjiang jade resources had dwindled drastically, and jade mines along the Kunlun Mountains went bankrupt and ceased operations. It was widely believed in the industry that the Hetian jade resources had been exhausted, causing widespread panic in the jade industry.
At that time, Adila, with his years of experience mining jade in the Kunlun Mountains, took the lead in proposing the geological theory that "Hetian jade is distributed in the shape of watermelon vines". This turned the tide for the mining industry of Hetian jade, bringing it back from the brink of ruin. New mining sites emerged one after another, and the output increased year by year.
Adila now serves as the executive director of the China Jade Association, holding the title of "China Hetian Gemstone Expert." This position carries far more weight than Zhuang Rui's directorship, and he also concurrently holds the position of vice chairman of the Xinjiang Jade Professional Committee. The company he leads has become a leading player in the Xinjiang jade industry.
"Is that why you call him 'Prince Jade'?"
According to Zhang Dazhi, it was more than an hour's drive to Adila's place, and Zhuang Rui also wanted to hear more of Adila's story.
"The old man is a legendary figure; the locals all say he has fiery eyes..."
"Eagle Eyes?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and his expression became somewhat strange. In fact, this word seemed more appropriate to describe him.
"That's right. The old man has more than a dozen mining teams under his command. Just last year, he found a mining site he liked, but after digging more than 60 meters into the mine shaft, he still couldn't find any jade. Many people were getting anxious and said it was a dead mine. The old man overruled everyone's objections and insisted on digging two meters deeper. Hey, guess what?"
Zhang Dazhi spoke animatedly about the story of the Jade King, asking himself a question. Without waiting for Zhuang Rui's reply, he continued, "In just those two meters, a miracle happened! They mined four large pieces of jade, the largest weighing ten tons. And there's more! Before we even saw any jade, the old man predicted that this mine could yield 60 tons of jade. Sure enough, after it was mined, it turned out to be a full 61 tons! Brother Zhuang, isn't that like having a divine eye?"
"Is it really that miraculous?"
After listening to Zhang Dazhi's words, Zhuang Rui began to wonder if the old man was like him, able to see through the surface of things and understand their true nature.
"Of course, our Jade King started mining jade in the Kunlun Mountains when he was just over ten years old. Over the decades, no one in Xinjiang has ever dared to claim that they are more skilled than him."
Zhang Dazhi spoke highly of his boss, saying, "In Xinjiang, the prince is the authority when it comes to identifying jade and jade artifacts. He can tell you in one breath whether a piece of jade is genuine, of good or bad quality, of its origin, and its price."
In the Hotan region, when dealers sell jadeite, buyers from other places who are familiar with the old man will always call him to come to the market. Once the old man sets a price, it's a done deal. Sellers no longer "ask exorbitant prices," and buyers no longer "bargain on the spot."
Do you know why? First, it's the effect of authority. Second, it's the level of integrity. Third, it's personal charisma.
Zhang Dazhi spoke fluently, indicating that he had talked to more than just Zhuang Rui. As he spoke, his face was full of pride, as if driving for Prince Yu was a very prestigious thing.
"Then why did he invite Old Master Gu?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat puzzled. According to Zhang Dazhi, Adila's expertise in nephrite jade was definitely no less than that of Gu Lao.
"I don't know, but Gu Lao came around this time last year too. He must have been invited by the prospecting team when they came up the mountain?"
Zhang Dazhi's words differed somewhat from what Gu Lao had said, so it seemed that the purpose of his visit was definitely not just to appraise a piece of jade.
"A prospecting team? Isn't it a jade mining team?"
"No, every year around this time, several teams are organized to go up the mountain to look for mineral veins. Only after the mineral veins are identified will jade mining teams be sent out. They have different roles, but there are also some jade miners who specialize in mining mountain stream jade, which requires running all over the mountain. It's very hard work."
Zhang Dazhi explained the difference between the two to Zhuang Rui. He had been in Xinjiang for many years and sometimes went up the mountain with jade miners to try their luck. You know, if you can find a good piece of jade, you'll never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of your life.
Comparatively, the work of searching for mineral veins and individual jade miners is much more arduous. They have to endure the scorching sun and altitude sickness, searching for jade deep in the mountains, sometimes for months at a time, only emerging in winter. ...
The car passed through Hotan City. Reaching the outskirts, it entered what looked like a farm. Zhuang Rui noticed a sentry post next to the gate, with two strong young men standing there. What surprised Zhuang Rui most was that they were carrying guns on their backs.
"Dazhi, are those two men at the gate also from the military?"
Zhuang Rui looked at the clothes the two men were wearing. They were camouflage uniforms, but there were no shoulder insignia or rank insignia. They were just carrying guns in broad daylight, so they must be people from government departments.
"No, Brother Zhuang, those two are from the mine security team. They're registered with the police and have gun licenses..."
Zhang Dazhi explained to Zhuang Rui that the environment near the Hetian jade mine is quite complex. Not only are there locals mining jade, but there are also gold prospectors from all over the country. With so many people, it's inevitable that there will be both good and bad people, and some people will take risks and do things that don't have any capital.
Therefore, some large jade merchants will form their own mine protection teams. People of Adila's status are coveted by many with ill intentions. Moreover, Adila's trading venue is usually his residence, where valuable jade is stored. So, an armed force is arranged to guard the place. Of course, this is all reported to and approved by the local public security department.
The car drove another two hundred meters or so and stopped in front of a three-story building. Zhuang Rui saw that there were stones of various sizes and shapes laid out on both sides of the road. These stones were mostly yellowish-white, and some had white jade inside that could be seen from their surfaces, so they must all be Hetian jade.
After getting off the car and entering the small building, the dining table in the living room was already being set with food and drinks. Several Uyghur women quickly set the food and then left, leaving only Grandpa Gu, Zhuang Rui, Adila, and a middle-aged man in his forties in the large room.
The meal was plentiful, including Xinjiang-style roasted meat, big plate chicken, and Yili liquor from Xinjiang. Gu Lao and Adila were quite familiar with each other, and Gu Lao would occasionally exchange a few words with Adila in Uyghur. The middle-aged man also did not neglect Zhuang Rui, constantly urging him to drink. After a while, Zhuang Rui was already four or five points drunk.
After dinner, someone led Zhuang Rui and Grandpa Gu to a room on the second floor to rest. Zhuang Rui, still tipsy, slept for four or five hours before waking up. When he came out of the room, he saw Grandpa Gu and Adila sitting in the living room on the second floor. On the ground in front of them was a stone that weighed at least a hundred kilograms.
"Xiao Zhuang, you're up? You slept for quite a while."
Hearing the noise upstairs, Gu Lao looked up and saw Zhuang Rui. He waved to him, signaling him to come down.
"Uncle-Master Gu, I'm sorry, I overslept."
Zhuang Rui came downstairs and scratched his head a little embarrassedly.
"It's alright, young people sleep a little deeper, that's normal. For us old men, we can't even sleep a little longer if we want to. Come on... young man, what do you think of this piece of material?"
Old man Adila was also somewhat curious about Zhuang Rui. He had heard from his old friend that this young man had a very keen sense of jade and had made quite a fortune at the Pingzhou Jadeite Auction some time ago. His asking Zhuang Rui to look at this piece of jade was also a way of testing Zhuang Rui.
“Uncle Tian, I have some experience with jadeite, but I don’t know much about nephrite. If you ask me, I’m just talking theory without any real knowledge…”
Although Zhuang Rui was confident that he could see the jade inside the material, he didn't really know much about the types and quality of Hetian jade. Among the nephrite jade, he had seen the mutton fat jade pendant that Gu Lao once gave to Qian Yaosi, but he hadn't been able to examine it closely at the time.
"It's alright, just say what you understand, what's there to be afraid of..."
Old Gu said from the side that he brought Zhuang Rui here to broaden his horizons, and this piece of material on the ground was just the right place to give him a live lesson.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui didn't stand on ceremony and squatted down to examine the piece of Hetian jade.
As friends know, all jadeite rough stones have an outer skin, and the direction, quantity, and quality of the jadeite inside can be determined by the outer skin. It can be said that the outer skin is the key to jadeite gambling.
Hetian jade is naturally the representative of nephrite. Unlike jadeite, Hetian jade pebbles do not necessarily have an outer skin. The jade flesh of many beautiful Hetian jades is exposed. In the past, many jade miners could pick up high-quality Hetian jade directly from the riverbank.
Another difference is that jade comes from abroad, while Hetian jade has a long history in China, with a long history and unique meaning. Throughout history, people have used jade to symbolize all beautiful things.
my country has been known as the "Land of Jade" since ancient times. The ancients treasured jade, using it as precious ornaments. Ancient medical books describe jade as "the most beautiful of stones, sweet in taste, neutral in nature, and non-toxic," and consider it the most abundant substance for nourishing vital energy in the human body. It was believed that sucking on jade, aided by saliva, enhanced its effects. Therefore, jade was not only used for jewelry, ornaments, and decorations, but also for health and wellness.
Throughout history, emperors and concubines of various dynasties have used jade for health preservation, and Emperor Huizong of Song was obsessed with jade, while Yang Guifei used jade to ward off the summer heat.
In ancient China, jade was a vital instrument for communicating with heaven and earth and for worshipping spirits and ancestors. It was a material representation of power and status, a funerary object for preserving the body of the deceased, and a symbol of the integrity, moral character, and noble aspirations of scholars and gentlemen.
When Grandpa Gu and Zhuang Rui were together, they talked a lot about nephrite jade. So, although Zhuang Rui didn't handle it much, theoretically speaking, he knew a great deal about nephrite jade.
Nephrite can be broadly categorized into mountain jade, riverbed jade, and pebble jade. Mountain jade refers to the original mineral deposits found in mountains, such as white jade mountain jade and bluish-white jade mountain jade. The jade kings mainly mined mountain jade.
Mountain stream jade refers to large pieces of jade that have broken off from their original ore deposits and been transported by river water to the upper and middle reaches of a river. The characteristics of stream jade are that it is close to the original ore deposit, the pieces are relatively large, and the edges and corners of the jade material are slightly rounded after being washed by river water for a long time.
Ziyu, also known as Zieryu or Ziyu, is distributed in riverbeds and terraces on both sides. The jade is either exposed on the surface or buried underground. Ziyu is characterized by its small size, often oval shape, and smooth surface. Because it has been washed and sifted by river water for thousands of years, Ziyu is generally of the best quality.
Jade pebbles in the lower reaches of rivers come in various colors, including white jade pebbles, bluish-white jade pebbles, green jade pebbles, black jade pebbles, jasper pebbles, and yellow jade pebbles. But no matter what color it is, as long as it is a top-quality pebble, it can cost tens of thousands of yuan per gram in the current jade market, which is many times more expensive than gold.
The nephrite market is now just as hot as the jadeite market. Before 2002, jade merchants from Xinjiang would bring sacks of raw jade to the mainland to sell, and people could choose whatever they wanted. But now, as soon as these people show up, jade merchants with millions of yuan can only buy a small box of raw jade.
Old Master Gu once told Zhuang Rui that when jade merchants from Xinjiang came to Zhonghai, they would usually stay at the Tianshan Hotel. There, you could often see several bosses from Jiangsu and Zhejiang working together, carrying boxes of cash, anxiously knocking on doors in the corridors of the Tianshan Hotel.
Xinjiang's jade merchants are known for their unity, and the fact that Gu Lao was able to cut off the jade raw materials from the Xu family's jewelry business and the Wang family's business was inseparable from his good relationship with Adila. Given Adila's status in the jade industry, all Xinjiang jade merchants gave him some face. ...
The reason why Gu Lao and Adila showed Zhuang Rui this piece of jade is that some nephrite, like jadeite, also has an outer skin. Zhuang Rui knows that the outer skin of Hetian jade is generally divided into three types: colored skin, sugar skin, and stone skin.
Colored skin refers to the layer of jade skin distributed on the surface of Hetian jade. It comes in many colors, and the jade industry names these jade materials according to their various colors, such as black skin, deer skin, etc. The quality of the jade can be seen from the skin color. For example, black skin and deer skin are mostly high-quality white jade materials.
Jade of the same quality, if it has a skin color like that of an autumn pear, is more valuable. The thickness of the skin is different from that of jadeite; it is very thin, generally less than 1 millimeter. The shape of the skin is also very varied, some are cloud-like, some are vein-like, and some are scattered.
The formation of colored skin is due to the transformation of ferrous oxide in Hetian jade into ferric oxide under oxidizing conditions. Therefore, it is a secondary process. Experienced jade collectors go to the middle and lower reaches of the river to look for jade with colored skin, while the chance of finding colored jade upstream is very small.
The term "sugar skin" refers to a layer of yellowish-brown or dark brown jade skin on the surface of Hetian jade mountain material. Because its color resembles that of brown sugar, jade with this skin is called sugar jade. The sugar skin of sugar jade is relatively thick, ranging from a few centimeters to twenty or thirty centimeters, and it often surrounds white or green jade, creating a transitional relationship. Sugar jade is found near fissures in the ore body.
The gambling aspect of sugar-skinned jade is greater because the quality of the jade inside is difficult to determine. It could be top-grade white jade or ordinary green jade. Some jade miners, after finding sugar-skinned jade, often take it out for others to gamble on, without opening it themselves.
The last type is stone skin, which mainly refers to the surrounding rock that encloses the jade in Hetian mountain material. It is mined together with the jade during mining and is attached to the surface of the jade. The boundary between the stone and the jade in this type of stone-encased jade is clear and can be easily separated. Stone skin is also the easiest type of material to identify the quality of jade.
The piece of material now in front of Zhuang Rui is a piece of sugar-skin jade from a mountain stream. Unlike the outer skin of raw jadeite, this piece is very smooth and doesn't feel rough to the touch. Zhuang Rui guessed that this was probably because it had been washed by river water before.
Zhuang Rui had absolutely no experience with Hetian jade. After looking at the piece of jade for a while, he lowered his head and his eyes immediately focused their spiritual energy into the yellowish-brown stone. He peeled away the layers of the stone, revealing the jade inside.
The stone's outer layer wasn't very thick, only about four or five centimeters thick. In the middle of the stone, a whole piece of milky-white jade appeared in Zhuang Rui's field of vision. To Zhuang Rui's surprise, the spiritual energy that hadn't changed for a long time actually underwent a slight change when it came into contact with the jade.
When he saw the soft white light emanating from the center of the jade, a warm aura merged with the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes. Although only a small amount of this aura entered his eyes, it still made Zhuang Rui feel extremely comfortable, as if a hot towel had been placed on his eyes. The feeling of the heat almost made Zhuang Rui groan out of comfort.
However, of this enormous piece of jade, very little could Zhuang Rui absorb with his spiritual energy—only a hair's breadth. But this still delighted Zhuang Rui, because at least he knew that the spiritual energy in his eyes could continue to increase, instead of stagnating like it was now.
After calming himself down, Zhuang Rui raised his head and said, "Uncle Gu, Uncle Tian, this piece of jade is a mountain stream material, and it is quite large. It is also covered with a sugar skin. However, it is often said that white jade pieces are mostly small, so the possibility of this piece being mutton fat jade is not very high. But the outer skin is moist and smooth, which is quite good. If I had to guess, I would guess that the inside is bluish-white jade, but the quality should be good."
Zhuang Rui's words were quite proper, explaining the origin, outer skin, and characteristics of the jade. Given his age and experience, his insightful explanations earned the two elderly people's repeated nods of approval.
"That's right, it's similar to what I was thinking. There's a high probability that it's made of bluish-white jade. Adila, such a large piece of bluish-white jade is worth more than regular mutton fat jade. Aren't you satisfied?"
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, the old man also gave his evaluation. He shared the same opinion as Zhuang Rui: it was virtually impossible for this piece of jade to yield mutton fat jade. If top-quality jade were so easy to find, the He Shi Bi would not have been passed down through the ages.
"Hehe, Brother Gu, you know, I didn't call you here just to see this piece of material. It's so hot in Beijing in the summer, why don't you stay here for a month? There are plenty of fresh cantaloupes and grapes this season."
Adila already knew a lot about this jade. He called Old Master Gu over, partly to reunite with old friends, and partly because the team searching for the vein would be heading up the mountain the next day. He wanted Old Master Gu to preside over the ceremony. For jade miners, this required a respected senior figure in the industry to preside over it. Gu Tianfeng came here every year mainly for this purpose.
"Alright, I won't have a chance to stay here this year. I still have to help this kid carve a piece of jade when I get back. We'll talk about it another time. After the ceremony tomorrow, I'll be heading back to Beijing."
Summers in Xinjiang are cool, and Gu Tianfeng used to stay here for a while every year. However, this year he has to work on jade carving for Zhuang Rui, so he can't stay any longer.
“Uncle-Master, there’s no rush with my item. Why don’t you stay here for a while? Besides, I brought that jadeite with me. You can have it carved right here…”
Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed that he had made Grandpa Gu run around to both places because of his little matter.
“That’s right, Xiao Zhuang is right. Brother Gu, I have all kinds of tools here. You can stay here and we old brothers can chat when we have nothing to do.”
Adila also offered his advice, saying that he and Gu Tianfeng had been friends for decades, but they only met once or twice a year. In addition, he had recently handed over his business to his younger generation and wanted to have an old friend to chat with and keep him company.
"Where it is carved is not a problem, but Xiao Zhuang, can you patiently wait here?"
The old man was also somewhat tempted upon hearing this, but it would take ten days to half a month to complete the carving, polishing, and other steps for these pendants, and he was afraid that Zhuang Rui would not be able to wait.
"That's simple, just have Xiao Zhuang go up the mountain with the jade mining team tomorrow..."
Mr. Adila gave an idea.
"Uncle Tian, you just said that the teams going up the mountain tomorrow are looking for mineral veins, so why are there jade miners too?"
Zhuang Rui asked, puzzled. He was also curious about the mining of nephrite jade. He had heard that most of the finest mutton fat jade was picked up from the mountains or riverbanks, and very rarely dug out of mines.
"Hehe, finding veins and mining jade requires choosing the right season to go up the mountain. If it gets colder, you won't be able to stay in the mountains for long. How about it, want to go and see for yourself? By the way, the jade mined from the mountains belongs to you..."