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CaseStudy:China'sJadeTrade

TEDCaseStudies
JadeanditsHistoricandModern
MeaningsforTrade

IDENTIFICATION
LEGALCLUSTERS
GEOGRAPHICCLUSTERS
TRADECLUSTERS
ENVIRONMENTCLUSTERS
OTHERFACTORS

I.Identification
1.TheIssue
Jadehaslongbeencloselyassociatedwith
theChineseculture.IntheChinesepeople's
eyes,jadehasalotofsignificance,meaning,
andpowerattachedtoit.Formanypeoplein
EastAsiaandintheWest,i.e.,theUS,jade
isactivelysoughtafterforitsappearance,
mystique,andromancesurroundingit.Since
thestrongdesireforjade,therehasbeena
resurfacingofthejadetradeinrecentyears.
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Thejadetradeisnotonlybecominga
boomingbusinessinChina,butalsoin
westerncountriesliketheUS.Relatedto
this,thereisasevereissueconcerningthe
jadetrade,inthatthereisacrisisof
confidencesuroundingtheinfluxand
generationofinferiorqualityor"Bjade."
ProspectivejadebuyersinBeijing,China
TheissueisthatsomejadedealersintheFar
Easthaverecentlyperfectedamethodof
makinglowerqualityjadeappearverysimilartoitstopqualitycounterpart.An
issuerelatedtoChina'sjadetradeinvlovesthetransferofdrugs.Specifically,
Myanmar's(Burma)jadeandherointradesnowoverlap.

2.Description
History
Inrecentdecades,jade,itshistory,anditstrade,hasresurfacedtobecomea
prominentandpopulartopic."Reveredforitsbeauty,strength,andetherealpower,
jadeisknowntohavebeenusedinritualceremoniesinChinafromabout5000to
1700B.C."(DelSestoP.T34).FortheancientChinesepeople,jadewasvery
importanttodailylife,becausetheythoughttheycouldusethejadetocommunicate
withdifferentspiritsthatinhabitedtheearth.Inotherwords,forhundreds,andeven
thousandsofcenturies,jadehasbeencloselyassociatedwiththeChineseculture.
Moreover,"TotheChinesepeople,ithasthepowertoprotectbodyandspiritfor
boththelivingandthedeceased"(ChowSangSangp.1).
Quickquestionforyou!WhenwasthefirstjadeobjectfoundinChina?Theanswer
over12,000yearsago!Itwasaserpentinelikepieceofjadethatwasfoundinthe
ImmortalCaveinHaichengofLiaoningProvince(TheCultureofChinawebsite).
TheproductionofChinesejadearticleswashighlydevelopedbytheShangdynasty
the16thtothe11thcenturyB.C.(TheCultureofJadewebsite).TheChinesein
thisperioddidhavethetechnologynecessarytoproducetype,shape,andsizeof
jadearticles.ButbytheendoftheChoudynastyfromthe11thcenturyto256
B.C.,thejadeinChinareachedasecondpeakinitsdevelopment.Thereasonfor
thisisthatthecraftsmenatthistimehadmoreadvancedtoolsaswellasmore
efficientmethodsofpolishingandcreatingjademasterpieces(TheCultureofJade
website).
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Archaelogicalfindingshaveevenrevealedsomeuniqueandinterestinginformation.
Forinstance,inprehistorictimes,piecesofjadewerethoughttoserveimportant
religiouspurposes."TheancientChinesecarvedjadeintosmalldiskscalledpi,to
usewhenworshipingtheGodofHeaven.Foursidedjadecontainersknownas
tsungwereemployedtoappeasetheGodofEarth"(FreeChinaJournalp.1).Also,
manycenturiesago,theChineseworejadeornamentsindailylifeasanindication
ofrankandsocialstatus.Forexample,thehouseholdsofmanynoblesandwealthy
familieswerefilledwithallkindsofcarveddailyarticlesmadefromjade(Free
ChinaJournalp.1).Thesedailyitemsincludedsuchthingsashairpins,combs,
walkingcanes,drinkingcups,andboxesforholdingtrinkets.Andasmentioned,
peoplewouldwearjadeasameansofwardingoffinjuryandevilspirits.Soaswe
cansee,jadewaswornandusedbytheearlyChineserangingfromthosewhoused
thepowerofthesword,fromthosewhousedthepowerofthepen.Thatis,during
theChou(1122221B.C.)andHan(206B.C.221A.D.)dynasties,jadewould
embellishtheswordandsheath,whileintheSung(960A.D.1279A.D.)andMing
(13681644)dynasties,manyliteratiwrotewithelegantstationaryitemsmadefrom
jade(FreeChinaJournalp.2).Theamazingthingisthatalloftheseancientbeliefs
stillholdtruetodayandarevaluableineverydaylife.ManypeopleinChinawill
wearajadebraceletbecausetheybelieveitwillprotectthem.Manyparentsin
Chinawillgivetheirsonordaughterajadebracelettoremindthisyoungpersonof
theparents'loveandprotection.
Mostofthejadearticlesthatexistedthousandsofyearsagoconsistedofcarved
pieceslikedragonsorphoenixes,symboliccarvingstohonorgodsandspirits,
sacrificialjadeutensils,orevenforcombs.Sohowdidmoderndayjadepieces
develop?Somejadescholarsinthemodernjadeindustrywouldsaythatthatinflux
offoreigners,especiallyAmericans,intoBeijingafterthegreatWorldWars,opened
upanentirelydifferenttypeofjadebusiness.Sincealotofpeopledidnothave
muchmoney,theysoughttopurchasejadeitemssuchasrings,earrings,beads,
bracelets,andthelike.SothisnewinfluxofforeignersintoBeijingofferedanew
marketforjadesellers.Moreover,"Themoreinventiveamongthewesternersbegan
designingsetsfortheirownadornment,andforshipmenttoeagerAmerican
specialtyanddepartmentstores"(JadeLore,p.73.).

WhatIsJade?
Basically,jadeconsistsoftwovarieties:nephriteandjadeite.Thefirst,nephrite,
whichisactuallyprettycommon,ismadeofsoftcalciumandmagnesiumsilicate
(KariHuusp.94).Interestingtonotewithnephriteisthatusuallyitsvaluestems
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largelyfromtheartistryoftheparticularpiece,andnotthestoneitself.Thesecond
varietyisjadeite.Thisusuallyistheonethatcommandsthehighpricesmorethan
nephritebecausejadeitecomesinmorevividgreencolorsandafinertranslucency
thannephritejade.Therefore,jadeiteisusedtomakemostjewellery,andis
composedofaharderaluminumandsodiumsilicate(KariHuusp.94).

JadeiteCharacteristics

Most
Desirable
intensecolor
evencolor
honeylike
transparency
translucency
wateryluster
smoothfinish
eventexture
pure
vividrootlike
structure

Less
Desirable
dullcolor
unevencolor
opacity
cloudy
appearance
dehydrated
appearance
surfacecracks
blotchy
texture
mottled
dullrootlike
structure

Toseethisandmoreaboutjade,clickhere
InEnglish,theword"jade"doesnotreallycarryanysignificantmeaning.Butwhen
onelooksatthemeaningofthewordinChinese,thenitisherethatwecanseethe
beginningsofjusthowimportantjadeistotheChineseculture.Thewordforjadein
theMandarinChineselanguageisyu."ThecharacterforjaderesemblesacapitalI
withalineacrossthemiddle:thetoprepresentstheheavens,thebottomtheearth,
andthecentersection,mankind"(Jadep.1).InChinese,thewordyuisusedtocall
somethingprecious,justasinEnglishonemayusegoldorsilver.

TheCurrentIndustry
PeopleincountriesliketheUS,Taiwan,andJapan,inrecentyearshavedeveloped
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astrongpenchantforjadewhichhasseriouslyimpactedthejadeindustry.
AccordingtotheChinaGemandTradeAssociation,gemandjadeprocessingmills
numbermorethan1,000collectivemillsand10,000individualprocessorsjustin
Chinainthemid90s(TheXinhuaNewsAgency).Thismeansthatthereisasolid
productionbaseforthejadetradeinChina,whichpromisesabusymarketinthe
future.Oneofthereasonsjadeismakingacomebackisbecauseitispopularamong
theyoungergeneration.Inotherwords,ithasbecomesortofafashionstatement.
Forexample,moreandmoreyoungmeninBeijingliketohavesomepieceofjade
jewellrytomakethemmoreattractive(TheXinhuaNewsAgency).Specifically,
highschoolstudentsappeartobecontributingquiteheavilytothebrisktradein
jade.AsforreasonswhysomeBeijinghighschoolstudentsdecidetopurcahsejade,
answerswouldbethat,"Whynot?A100yuan(roughly13USdollars)pieceofjade
showshowfashionableweareandmakesustheenvyofourclassmates"(The
XinhuaNewsAgency).Maybe,peoplearejustrevertingbacktotheirtraditional
valuesinjewellry,inordertoappreciatemoretheirChineseculturaltraditions.The
samecanbesaidforjadebuyersintheUS.Theyrealizejadecanbetrendy,
valuable,andforsome,itmayresemblesomethingmysteriousforthosewhoarenot
familiarofChineseculture.
WhereinChinaisallofthisjadecomingfrom?TheUSandotherplacesmight
receiveagoodportionofjadearticlesthatwereproducedinZhenping,whichisa
countyintheHenanprovinceofChina.Forin1995,Zhenpingwasawardedthe
nameof"HomeofJade"byChina'sMinistryofAgricultureandtheStateCouncil
EconomicDevelopmentResearchCenter(TheChinaDaily,1998).Moreover,the
amountofmoneythattheZhenpingcounty'sjademarketprovidestobothdomestic
andforeignmarketsisstaggering.Forinstance,theZhenpingcountyjadeindustry
alone,has11,000stateowned,collectivelyrun,andprivatejadeprocessingworks
with118,000employees,andthissupplies850millionyuan($102.4millionUS
dollars)worthofjadeproductsbothtohomeandforeignmarkets(TheChinaDaily
1998).BusescometoZhenpingfromalloverChina,suchasKunming,Shenzhen,
andQingdao,justtoengageinjadebusiness.Accordingtolocalgovernment
statistics,foreignersarethebigbuyersofthecounty'sjadeproducts.Specifically,
"Jadeproductsvaluedat345millionyuan($41.6millionUSdollars)aresold
overseaseachyear"(TheChinaDaily1998).Dealinginsuchhugedollaramounts
whenitcomestojadetransactionsisnotsomethingthatZhenpingtakeslightly
norshouldthey.ThisishugebusinessfortheseproducersofjadeinZhenping,
businessthattheywishtocontinue.Asaresultofthistypeofthinking,Zhenping
hasinvestedabout30millionyuan($3.6millionUSdollars)since1985forthe
continueddevelopmentof100trainingcentersfortechnologicalupgrading(The
ChinaDaily1998).
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ProblemsandIssues
Thefactthatthemodernjadetradehasgainedtremendoussuccessandpopularityin
recentyears,doesnotmeanthateverythinghasbeensmoothsailing.Infact,"The
internationaljadetradeisreelingfromaproliferationofdoctoredstonesthathave
appearedonthemarketsince1990,hurtingsalesanderodingconfidenceinthe
translucentgreengemprizedthroughoutAsia"(DeniseHamilton,p.D1).Thiscould
beaseriousproblemtotheindustry,becauseweknowthatthejadetradehasthe
capabilityofgeneratinghundredsofmillionsofdollarsayear,mostlyinAsia.
Probablymostbuyersofjadewouldnotattachanegativestigmatojadeforthe
stonehasbeenreveredthroughouthistoryforbringinggoodfortune.
TheproblemhasspreadfromEastAsiatotheWest,i.e.,theUnitedStates.For
example,inthemid1990s,HongKongwasconsideredtobeamongtheworld's
largestjademarkets.But,"Somejadetradersestimatethatinferiorstones,whichare
treatedwithchemicalstoenhancetheirdeepgreencolor,nowaccountformorethan
halfthegemscirculatinginHongKong..."(DeniseHamiltonp.D1).Forworld
travelers,andamateurjadebuyers,whoreallyhaveknowpriorknowledgeofwhat
tolookforwhenbuyingjade,thisnewsisdiscouraging.Apersonalexperiencefrom
thiswriterisworthmentioning.
InDecemberof1999,IwasrecentlyinHongKong.NearthehotelIwasstayingin,
therewasahugenightmarket.Themarketwouldsetuparound6pm,andpackup
andleavearoundmidnightorafter.Ihadpassedbythemarketearlier,anddecided
togolook.Ihadwantedtobuysomejade,butreallywasnoteducatedonthe
intricaciesofwhattolookfor.Nonetheless,Ithoughtitwouldbeneattobuysome
jadetobringbacktotheUnitedStates.IhadbeeninChinaforafewmonths,soI
feltconfidentinmybargainingskills.Well,Imademywayaroundthehundredsof
tables,andfinallycametoatablethatcaughtmyeyewithsomebeautifuljade.
AfterasolidhalfanhourofhagglingwiththejadesellerinMandarinChinese,the
sellerandIfinallyagreedonapriceforafewsmallpiecesofjade.ThenIhanded
overtheHongKongdollarsandwassatisfiedwithmypurcahse.But,asIwas
walkingaway,Iturnedmyheadaround,andsawthepersonwhoIboughtthejade
fromsmilingandlaughing.DidsheknowsomethingthatIdidnot?WasthejadeI
purchasedweak,inferior,or"Bjade"?Whoknows?Iwillneverknow,andneither
willmostpeoplewhobuyjade,especiallypeoplelikemewhodonotknowmuch
aboutjade.Thisiswhatpeopleshouldbecomeawareof,andspecificallythose
buyerswhoputahugeinvestmentintojade.
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Asatiric,buttruestatement,onthepossiblehazardsofpurchasingjadeoverseasis
wellinordertogivethenovicejadebuyersomeadvice.
ItiswellwhenbuyinganykindofjadeinChinatobethoroughlyon
guardandwithallone'switstofendofftheartfulvendor.Byofferingto
pay,say30%oftheaskingprice,andthen,ifneedbe,toworkgradually
towardafigureacceptabletothedealer,afairbargainmaybestruck.If
jadeofhighqualityisbeingpurchasedandthebuyerhasnogreat
knowledgeofthestone,itisextremelywisetocalluponadisinterested
Chineseoroccidentalonwhosewordreliancemaybeplaced.Aboveall,
itisunsafetotakeatfacevaluetheprotestationsofhonestyandproffers
ofguaranteesalwaysmadebythemerchant.Hewillhandoutbusiness
cards,tellhowlonghehasbeenestablished,andgiveanyotherfabuluous
referencewhichmaycomeintohisheadtobluntthesuspicionofa
foreignpatron.Oncethesaleisconsummated,thereislittlehopeof
reparationifthejadeissubsequentlyfoundwanting.Shouldthepurchaser
beofhighspiritandreturntohaveitoutwiththeshopkeeper,heismet
withtheblandsmileofamanhidingbehindapurelylegalprecept.
CertainlythebuyershouldalwaysbewareinChina,moreespeciallyifhe
doesnotknowjade.
ThisistakenfromJohnGoette'sbook,entitled,JadeLore(p.125).
Asmentioned,themodernjadeindustryhasbecomepopularandtrendyintheUS,
likeinmanyCaliforniancities.Herethough,manyleadersofthelocaljadetradeare
warningthepublictobeskepticalofstones,eventhejadestonesthathavethemost
desirableshadeofdeep,translucentgreen.Oneoftheproblemsisthattheinfluxof
lowqualityandartificialjadehasbecomeverydifficulttorecognizetothenaked
eye,andevenfortheexpert.Therefore,"Concernedthatconsumersunsureofthe
qualityofgemswillshyawayfromtheexpensivestone,merchantsonbothsides
ofthePacificarefightingbackwithhightechdetectionmethodsandacampaignto
educatethepublic"(DeniseHamiltonp.D1).Relatedtothisisthatitmaybe
impossibletoknowhowmanypeoplehavepurchasedartificialorBjade,since
manypeopleareunawarethatstonesmaybedoctored,oraretooembarrassedto
admitthattheywereduped.

KnowYourOptions
ThisentryofBjadehascreatedacrisisofconfidenceinmanydifferentmarkets,
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becauseuntilveryrecently,therewasnoequipmentandtechnologyavailableto
detectthedifferencebetweenrealandtreatedjade(NakshabCareemp.27).But
thereareorganizationsandpeoplewhohavebeguntofightback.Forexample,"The
HongKongJadeandStoneAssn.recentlyspent$200,000forlabequipmentto
detecttreatedjadeandtookoutadsinHongKong'sdailypresstoexplainthe
differencebetweenhighqualitystones,calledAgradejade,andstonesinfusedwith
plastic,knownasBjade"(DeniseHamiltonp.D1).Also,anownerofajewellry
storeintheSanGabrielValleyofCalifornia,andapresidentoftheJade&
GemstoneAssociationofAmerica,haslaunchedacampaigntoeducateconsumers
aboutthedifferencesofjadestonesbymeansofflyers,printedinChinese."The
flyerencouragesprospectivebuyerstopatronizeonlymerchantswithatrusted
nameandapermanentshoplocation,toinquireaboutthequalityofthegemthey
arebuyingandtowarnmerchantsthatitisagainstthelawtomisrepresent
impregnatedstonesasgradeAjade"(DeniseHamiltonp.J3).Anothergoodidea
thattheflyersuggeststopeopleistorecommendthatprospectivebuyersask
merchantstosupplyacertificateofauthenticityfromtheGemologicalInstituteof
America,whichisanorganizationthatauthenticatespreciousstones(Denise
Hamiltonp.J3).
Oneofthedrawbacksofbuyingdoctoredupjadeisthatmostlikelythisartificial
jadewillloseitsbrillianceandtranslucence,thengrowbrittleandworthlesswithin
afewyears.Thismayhaveseriousimplicationsforpeople,likeWesterners,who
makeahugeinvestmentwhenbuyingjade.Specifically,"Abraceletsoldfor
$30,000asgradeAjade,forexample,isworthonly$2,000ifmadeofgradeBjade"
(DeniseHamiltonp.J3).Notonlydoesthisdirectlyaffectthebuyerwhowillbe
gettingrippedoff,butitmayalsoaffectthehonestdealerswhoworrythatthe
artificialjadedisguisingitselfastopqualityjadecouldpullthecarpetoutunderthe
feetofthehighendmarket.
Let'slookatafewmethodsthathasturnedthejadeindustryintosuchawidespread
problemthatuptohalfofthejadethatisbeingtestedtodayintheUSisfoundtobe
doctored.WhatjadedealersinEastAsiahaverecenltydone,isthattheyhave
perfectedamethodofmakinglowerqualityjadelookalmostidenticaltoitstop
qualitycounterpart.Oneofthecounterfeitingmethodsused"...invlovesusingacid
tobleachoutmineralimpuritiesinlowerqualityjade.Ahighpressuremachinethen
injectsaplasticpolymerresinintothestonetoconcealthetampering"(Denise
Hamiltonp.J3).Or,dealersmayinjectastonefullofplastictomakeitlookmore
translucent,whichisdonetoenhancethejade'scolor,andhence,itsvalue(Denise
Hamiltonp.J3).
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Thesecounterfeitingmethodsinflictmanyimplicationsonanindustrythatis
reachinghugevolumesoftradeallacrosstheworld.Restoringmarketconfidence
willbecrucial.So,"Theonlysuretestistoputthestonesthroughinfrared
spectroscopy,aprocessthatrequiresamachinethatcostsupto$100,000and
experiencedtechnicalstaffbothtoobtainanaccuratereadingandtoassessthe
results"(DeniseHamiltonp.J3).But,noteveryonewhobuysjadewillhaveaccess
tothesetypeofexpensivemachinesandtests,especiallythosewhobuyjade
productsoffthestreetsormarketslikeinChina.Also,somedealers,eveningood
faith,donotknowthattheymaybesellingBjade.
WillthishaveanyaffectsonthejadetradeindustrybetweentheEastandtheWest?
Willtheseabovementionedissuesslowdownthepurchasingofjade?Probablynot,
becausemostpeoplewhobuyjade,particularlythoseintheWest(theUS),arenot
awareoftheproblem.MostWesternerswillbecomemoreawareoftheproblem
whenenvironmentalproblemsresultingfromjademiningappearintheheadlines.

EnvironmentalResultsofMiningJade?
Asmentioned,alotofjademiningtakesplaceinChina.Whatkindofharmisthis
doingtotheenvironment?Doesjademiningresultintremendousairpollution,
waterpollution,andecologicaldestructioningeneral?Ifjademiningisanything
closetocoalminingthentheanswerisprobablyyes.But,findinginformationon
theaffectsofjademininghasbeentoughtouncover.However,Chinadoesplanto
allocatemorethan$21.6billiondollarstoenvironmentalprotectionandpollution
control.AndaccordingtoChina'sStateBureauofEnvironmentalProtection,
"Fundshavealsobeenearmarkedforairpollutioncontrolprojects,andcontrolling
emissionsfrompowergenerationandmetallurgicalplants,aswellasozonelayer
protectionprojects..."(XinhuaNewsAgency).
ThismeansthatChinadoesrecognizetheimportanceofpreservingitsenvironment.
But,thejadetradeisahugebusinessforCina.ThelikelihoodofChinainstituting
strictregulationsonjademiningisremote.Itmayberemotebecausethe
consequencesofjademining,thatispollution,arenottoosignificant.Iftheeffects
ofjademiningwereextremelyproblematic,thentherewouldbealotmore
informationandliteratureonthetopic.Environmentalistswouldbealarmingthe
worldastotheproblemsofjademining.Butthishasnothappenedyet.Evenifor
whenitdoeshappen,itmighttakealongtimeforittobecomeaseriousissuefor
theWorldTradeOrganization(WTO).

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3.RelatedCases
Amber
Pearls
Diamonds
Cobalt
Copper
Bronze
Coal
CubaMining

4.DraftAuthor:DavidNaltner
May,2000

II.LegalClusters
5.DiscourseandStatus:
DisagreementandAllegation

6.ForumandScope:
ChinaandUnilateral

7.DecisionBreadth:
8.LegalStanding:
Law

III.GeographicClusters
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9.GeographicLocations
a.GeographicDomain:Asia
b.GeographicSite:EastAsia
c.GeographicImpact:China

10.SubNationalFactors:
No

11.TypeofHabitat:
Temperate

IV.TradeClusters
12.TypeofMeasure:
ImportStandard

13.Directv.IndirectImpacts:

147.9.1.100

Direct

14.RelationofTradeMeasuretoEnvironmental
Impact
a.DirectlyRelatedtoProduct:Yes
b.IndirectlyRelatedtoProduct:No
c.NotRelatedtoProduct:No
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d.RelatedtoProcess:Yes

15.TradeProductIdentification:
Jade

16.EconomicData
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Accordingtothewebsite:http://www.gemstone.orgthefollowingarethetop
7exportersofjade:
China
Myanmar
Guatemala
Canada
Australia
U.S.A.
Taiwan

17.ImpactofTradeRestriction:
Low

18.IndustrySector:
Mine

19.ExportersandImporters:
AccordingtotheInternationalTradeCenter(ITC),in1998thefollowingare
thetop7importersof"preciousstones"alongwiththevalueoftheseimports.
Preciousstonesincludesmorethanjadetheymayincludesuchgemsand
stonesassapphire,ruby,emeralds,jade,etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Belgium@$9,616,910
USA@$9,468,517
UK@$5,330,275
Israel@$4,210,516

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5. HongKong@$2,491,257
6. Switzerland@$2,486,969
7. Japan@$1,505,863

*Again,thesevaluesofimportsincludemorethanjade.Takethematfacevalue.

V.EnvironmentClusters
20.EnvironmentalProblemType:
Pollutionofland

21.Name,Type,andDiversityofSpecies
N/A
Name:
Type:
Diversity:

22.ResourceImpactandEffect:
LowandRegulatory

23.UrgencyandLifetime:
LowandHundredsofYears

24.Substitutes:
LikeProducts
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VI.OtherFactors
JadeandHeroin
Thejadetradehascreatedadifferenttypeoftradeinrecentyears.Myanmar's
(formerlyknownasBurma)jadeandherointradesnowoverlap.Thosewhocontrol
theherointradehavebeenbuyinginexpensivejadebouldersinMyanmar.Then,
afterhollowingtheboulderout,theyreplacethestonewithpacketsofpureheroin,
resealtheboulders,thenshipthemacrossthebordertoChina(MaryKayMagistad,
p.A15).Fromthere,theheroincontinuestospreadontoHongKong,andeventually
totheUnitedStates.AccordingtoUSDrugEnforcementAdministrationestimates,
sincethe1990s,Myanmarhasbeentheworld'ssinglebiggestproducerofthemain
ingredientofheroin.Willthisjaderockbehollowedoutandbeusedfordrugtrade?
InMandalay,Myanmar,someoftheresidentshavebeenquotedassayingthatthere
arethreelinesofbusiness,"...thegreenline,theredlineandthewhiteline.That's
jade,rubiesandheroin"(StephenMansfield,May1999).Chineseofficialsappearto
bemoreconcernedwiththespreadofdrugsacrossitsownborder,butMyanmar
leadersappeartohavemoreofalenientattitudetowardthedrugdealersor
smugglers."Althoughnarcoticsareoneofthe23listeditemsofficiallybannedfrom
crossbordertrade,contrabandofthiskindisgenerallyignoredbythemilitary
personnelwhosupervisecheckpoints"(StephenMansfield,May1999).However,
theactualvolumeoftheheroinexporttoChinaisincreasing.Also,thisdrugtradeis
widelyconsideredtobethemilitary'smainsourceofincomeforarmspayments.In
fact,200tonsofheroinaresaidtoexitMyanmarannually(StephenMansfield,May
1999).
ItisinterestingtonotethattheChinesehavebeenimportingvastquantitiesof
Burmesejadeiteforcenturies."China'sfinestjadefiguresinfact,suchasthoseon
displayinBeijing'sForbiddenCityMuseumandtheNationalMuseumcollectionin
Taipepi,orthosereservedforthetopendoftheirexportmarket,arecarvedfrom
Burmesejadeite"(StephenMansfield,May1999).

HongKongJadeSellerSetsHimselfAblaze
AnarticleintheDecember8,1998editionoftheHongKongStandardreally
depictshowserioussomeonecanbeaboutsellingjade.AjadesellerinHongKong
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torchedhimselfinacourtroomafterhewasfinedandhadhis500piecesofjade
confiscated.Hewasfined$400dollarsforillegalhawking.Doeseveryjadesellerin
HongKongorChinaorelsewhere,havealicensetoselljade?Myguesswouldbe
no.Thatiswhyitisnecessarytobeeducatedonhowtobuygenuinejadeina
foreigncountry.Otherwise,youmaybebuyingjadethatisnotofgoodquality.

OtherUsesforJade
FarmersinLiaoningprovinceinNortheasternChina,havefoundenjoymentin
havingajadepillowjustastheancientemperorsdid(TheXinhuaNewsAgency).
Believeitornot,thiscountyactuallyexportsthesejadepillowstoothercountries.
Asmentionedearlier,traditionalChinesemedicinesaysthatjadeisgoodforone's
health.Thepriceperpillowforthishealth?Itcostsabout$30USdollars.Whois
thetargetaudienceforthisjadepillow?Mostofthepeopleusingjadepillowsare
elderormiddleagedpeople,forthesepeopleinChinabelievethatthefinequality
ofjadewillimprovebloodcirculationtothebrainandkeepthecentralnervous
systemhealthy(TheXinhuaNewsAgency).Anyconfirmedresults?A67yearold
maninthiscountyinChinaconfirmedthatafterusingthejadepillowfornearlyone
year,blackhairstartedtogrowonhisheadthathadbeenbaldformanyyears(The
XinhuaNewsAgency)!
Attheendof1999,Chinaissuedjadesouvenirstocommemoratetheinternational
yearofoldpersons(TheXinhuaNewsAgency).Thejadewasdesignedwith
elaboratecarvingsofthetortoiseandsnake,whicharetraditionalChinesesymbols
ofhealthandlongevity.Bytheyear2000isover,China'sagingpopulationwill
exceed130millionbythemid21stcentury,Chinawillhaveabout400million
elderly,thebiggestpopulationofoldpeopleintheworld(TheXinhuaNews
Agency).

25.Culture:
Yes

26.TransBoundaryIssues:
No

http://www1.american.edu/ted/jade.htm

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CaseStudy:China'sJadeTrade

27.Rights:
No

28.RelevantLiterature
Careem,Nakshab."ExpertsPutFakesUnderScientificMicroscope,"SouthChina
MorningPost,3September1997.
"ChinaIssuesSouvenirsForInt'lYearofOldPersons,"TheXinhuaNewsAgency,8
September1999.
"ChinaJadeTradeFlourishesInZhenping,"ChinaDaily,8December1998.
Desautels,PaulE.TheJadeKingdom,VanNostrandReinholdCompanyInc.,New
York,1986.
"FinedHawkerSetsHimselfAblazeInCourt,"HongKongStandard,8December
1998.
Goette,John.JadeLore,Reynal&Hitchcock,NewYork.
Hamilton,Denise."DealersWarnAgainstDoctoredJadeGems:MerchantsHave
FoundANearlyUndetectableWayofMakingLowGradeStonesAppearToBe
ExpensiveJewels,"LosAngelesTimes,4August1994.
Hamilton,Denise."FakesSendSalesofJadePlungingGemMerchantsFightBack
WithHighTechDetectionMethods,"LosAngelesTimes,21November1994.
Huus,Kari."Jaded:NewRecordSetatSpringAuction,"FarEasternEconomic
Review,18May1995.
"JadeOrnaments,NewFashionForYoungMen,"TheXinhuaNewsAgency,17
October1993.
"JadePillowsPopularAmongFarmersinNortheasternChina,"TheXinhuaNews
Agency,30December1991.
Magistad,MaryKay."JadedInMyanmar,"TheWashingtonPost,15March1993.
Mansfield,Stephen."The'red,greenandwhitelines':rubies,jadeandheroin,"The
JapanTimes,12May1999.
"TaipeiMarketaJourneyThroughJadeWonderland,"FreeChinaJournal,3
January1998.
WebSources:
ChowSangSangJade,http://www.chowsangsang.com/tknow.htm
Destiny:TheCultureofChina,http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/jade.html
InternationalTradeCenter,
http://www1.american.edu/ted/jade.htm

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http://www.intracen.org/itc/infobase/data/chap33/e667.htmand
http://www.intracen.org/itc/infobase/data/chap32/i667.htm
Jade:ChineseStoneofHeaven,http://www.gemstone.org/jade.html
SourcesoftheJadeStone,http://www.du.edu/~balsalem/sources.htm
http://www.gemstone.org/jade.html
http://www.jadegift.com
http://www.nando.net

http://www1.american.edu/ted/jade.htm

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