Hetian jade is a nephrite that is famous in China. It gets its name because it is mainly produced in Hetian in Xinjiang Province. It comprises mostly massive microcrystalline to cryptocrystalline felted amphiboles of the tremolite-actinolite series. The original mineral resources are in the contact zone of acidic igneous rocks containing magnesium carbonate. Transported by river water, the nephrite rocks became polished pebbles called Hotian jade. The Palace Museum displays a large Hetian jade stone weighing 5,350 kg. The original stone was mined at Mileta Mountain in Xinjiang during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It was delivered to Beijing within 3 years and later moved to Yangzhou to be carved by the most famous craftsmen. Hundreds of craftsmen spent more than 6 years carving it and eventually completed a relief with the theme of ‘Flood control by King Yu’. Hetian jade can be divided into white jade, green jade, black jade and yellow jade according to the colour. A type...
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(2020). Hetian Jade (Hetian Jade, Khotan Jade). In: Chen, A., Ng, Y., Zhang, E., Tian, M. (eds) Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_1042
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