Jade is an umbrella term to describe a variety of stones. Pure jade is compromised of either jadeite or nephrite. Jadeite is the rarer of the two, thus more valuable, and is made of sodium, aluminum, and silicate. Nephrite, made of calcium, magnesium, and iron silicate is used more often for carvings and jewelry as it’s a bit softer than it’s counterpart. Depending on which variety you want, locations vary on where to find it. Nephrite can be found on the South Island of New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Zimbabwe, Russia, Taiwan, Alaska and Poland. Jadeite’s main source is in Burma, but it’s also found in Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Cuba and the USA. Estimated to be over 500 million years old, …show more content…
Egyptians first used it to create weapons and tools, as its strength made it a natural choice to its hardness. As time went on, they came to believe that jade represented balance, harmony, and inner peace. It was also used as a way to communicate with the gods. Its role in religion and access to the spirit world made it a valuable tool for both life and death. There are many fascinating myths and stories about jade; quite a few are from the Chinese culture. In China, jade symbolizes goodness, beauty, and purity. It is so treasured that there is a Chinese saying about it: “gold is valuable, jade is priceless”. It’s said that Huang Di, the original ruler of China and originator of the culture planted and harvested jade from the trees, and he regularly enjoyed the sweet cream from the milky-white colored variety. A legend says that when the Mongols tried to conquer China that the dragons wept for them, their tears creating jade when they hit the earth. In Turkestan, jade was found in two rivers aptly named the Black Jade River and White Jade River. The rivers were considered to be a yang force. It was decided that best way to attract yang is with yin – yin representing the female aspect. So the yin (women) were sent to the rivers in hopes of attracting yang (jade). Someone (a man I’m sure) also surmised that maybe the attraction would be stronger if the women were naked while hunting for the stones; so this was
The novel “The Jade Peony” is narrated by three different characters throughout the story as it progresses. In part one of the book, it is narrated by a character named “Jook Liang” but usually just called Liang while in conversation. The reader is told the setting and time of the plot, which is in Vancouver, BC and in the time of the Great Depression (In the 1930s). We also learn the names of all the members in Liang’s family. An important figure in Liang’s portion of the story is a man named Wong-Suk. Wong-Suk and Liang become great friends, he occasionally tells her tales from the past. While Poh-Poh was helping Liang tie a ribbon for her tap dance shoes, we learn about her childhood. Poh-Poh was considered disfigured and her mom sold her to a family, where she
The book is narrated by a little girl named Jook-Liang (or just Liang). You are introduced to her and her family who live in Vancouver B.C. during the Great Depression. She lives in a rundown house with her father; her real mom (who she's made to call Stepmother); the "old one", the children's grandmother-- Poh-Poh; and 3 brothers. The oldest Kiam; second oldest-- an orphan the family adopted Jung-Sum; and then would be Liang; and then the youngest child Sek-Lung (or Sekky).
The united States Declaration of independence states that all men are equal, but aren’t all women as well? Nowadays, the numbers for the population are at an increase for the support in gender equality, with the capture of feminist labels. The seek for equality between men and women, and criticize the privileges that arouse by gender differences. However in Old China, males control almost everything due to a patriarchal society. At that time, not only men, but also women are influenced by male chauvinism. In the Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, female characters are affected by an unequal perspective despite their age group.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues foreigners will come upon is to maintain a strong identity within the temptations and traditions from other cultures. Novelist Frank Delaney’s image of the search for identity is one of the best, quoting that one must “understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of the ancestors . . . to build our identities”. For one, to maintain a firm identity, elderly characters often implement Chinese traditions to avoid younger generations veering toward different traditions, such as the Western culture. As well, the Chinese-Canadians of the novel sustain a superior identity because of their own cultural village in Vancouver, known as Chinatown, to implement firm beliefs, heritage, and pride. Thus in Wayson Choy’s, The Jade Peony, the novel discusses the challenge for different characters to maintain a firm and sole identity in the midst of a new environment with different temptations and influences. Ultimately, the characters of this novel rely upon different influences to form an identity, one of which being a strong and wide elderly personal
We have all been in a situation where we have immigrated to a new country for different reasons regarding, better future, or education. In the book Jade of Peony, Wayson Choy describes a struggle of a Chinese family as they settle in Canada, with their new generation of kids born here, the family struggles to keep their children tied to their Chinese customs and traditions as they fit in this new country. The Chinese culture needs to be more open minded as it limits the future generation’s potential. Chinese culture limitations are seen through the relationship expectations, education, gender roles and jobs.
In Wayson Choy’s The Jade Peony, a major topic explored is the strict use of gender roles. In the novel, the theme of cultural identity explores how the characters are oppressed by gender roles through cultural tradition. The novel creates a window into the lives of a Chinese-Canadian family, as everyone is trying to find their place in a country that doesn’t accept them and a culture that is never truly theirs, each family member goes through a struggle wherein they have to figure out where they can stand on the side of that dash. Chinese – (or) – Canadian, each side holding its own unique challenges within its “hyphenated reality.” (Philip Gambone (The New York Times)).While they will never be accepted as truly Canadian, their Chinese culture
Word choice is the use of words and/or phrases in writing. By using the appropriate word choice, the author can communicate a lot to his/her audience. Some types of word choices help establish the setting. Word choice can be also used by an author to reveal how the character feels in that particular situation. Word choice can be colloquial, sophisticated, or immature [more types, but not mentioned]. In Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik, sophisticated word choice is used to establish the time and setting in which it took place.
The gold that was used to make jewelry in Egyptian times was not scarce like it is in present day. Mines between the Nile River and Red Sea coast yielded large quantities of this precious metal. They also imported precious stones from the Sinai Peninsula and even Afghanistan. The Egyptians, however, had no knowledge of the gemstones and jewels we have today, such as diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
The year was 1986 JADE just moved from his backwoods town of Roodhouse Illinois for the big city of Los Angeles. JADE took his first step onto the city streets as they street lights nearly blind him. He walks into a dark alley to see a couple of guys wearing leather vests and bandanas. They walk up to JADE and notice his suitcase and walked up to him. “Give me your suitcase.” the gang member said. “I’m good.” JADE responded. the gang member grabs his suitcase and pulls it towards him then an echo shot through the air and the gang member fell on the ground with a bullet hole in his lung. “Wait what?” JADE said. “What’s the problem?” I asked confused. “I shot him in the lung with my suitcase how does that make sense?” JADE said “Well I’m the narrator. What I say goes.” I said. “I thought this was about me being a rock star and my journey from where I came from.” JADE said. “I was going to do that but I figured I had a better story.” I said “Ok cool an adventure.” JADE said. “He Shot Lewis.” the gang members said. They all started running towards him. “Wait hold up is you kidding me.” JADE hollered in the sky but there was no answer. He knew that there was no time for discussion so he jump and kicked one of the members in the face and runs the members pull out a guns and start shooting at JADE. That’s when a Delorean pulls up. The door flies open. “Get in.” the driver said. JADE jumps in the car and slammed the door shut and they drove off. JADE looked over to the dr- “Holy crap your Michael j. fox.” JADE yelled excitedly “ Do you realize you interrupted the narrator?” Michael j . fox said “ Yeah he’s kind of a jerk.” JADE said “I’m right here.” I hollered angrily. “Anyway.” Michael said. “I need your help JADE.” “with what?” JADE r...
The invention of Ancient Egyptian art was one of Egypt’s biggest accomplishments. Art for the Egyptians were very important because most of the art they made were for their religion. Art was made mostly for their religion because they would paint pictures from the after- life or build exceptional pyramids that had to do with their religion. Art today was different from art back then. Back then art was made onto cave walls and gave direction or meant a special thing. For example, when they wanted to capture an animal, they
Pearls are “the only gemstones made by living animals; they are the oldest known natural gems “(Pearls a gift….2014: [sp]). The origin of the pearl is not completely known as it has been used for centuries. According to Bari and Lam (2009:18)
HISTORY OF ALCHEMY: From an early period the Egyptians possessed the reputation of being skillful workers in metals and, according to Greek writers, they were conversant with their transmutation, employing quicksilver in the process of separating gold and silver from the native matrix. The resulting oxide was supposed to possess marvelous powers, and it was thought that there resided within in the individualities of the various metals, that in it their various substances were incorporated. This black powder was mystically identified with the underworld form of the god Osiris, and consequently was credited with magical properties. Thus there grew up in Egypt the belief that magical powers existed in fluxes and alloys. Probably such a belief existed throughout Europe in connection with the bronze-working castes of its several races. Its was probably in the Byzantium of the fourth century, however, that alchemical science received embryonic form. There is little doubt that Egyptian tradition, filtering through Alexandrian Hellenic sources was the foundation upon which the infant science was built, and this is borne out by the circumstance that the art was attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and supposed to be contained in its entirety in his works.
Stone says, “Standing…is the authority of someone to initiate an action. The term in its narrower common use is probably limited to the right of nongovernmental parties to institute judicial review, which will be our principal focus” (35). Writing with an audience of environmentalists and environmental lawyers in mind, he argues to put Nature in the plaintiff’s seat and allow all of nature – animal, vegetable, and mineral – to have legal standing in order to claim rights on their own behalf. Historically, the judiciary accepted only complaints where human beings could stake claim to violation of rights, on their own behalf as well as for non-humans and other property either owned or affected (injured) by as a citizen. In the case of Nature and non-humans Stone says this is a mistake linked to the three elements necessary for establishing standing. Namely, that citizens and organizations cannot suffer injury-in-fact which thus means there can be no causal link to an injury nor any injury that requires redress.
Chinese music dates back to 1000 BC. A man named Ling Lun created the first of the musical instruments in China. Ling Lun developed a set of 60 bells. From these bells, he created a mathematical method for creating pitch pipes to tune the bells. One of the first instruments created was a bamboo pipe. Composers and philosophers idea behind this music was to calm and relax people from the calming sounds. An ancient Chinese belief is the music is meant to purify one's thoughts.
Olivine is not a single mineral but rather a mineral series. By definition, a mineral series contains multiple elements that have the ability to substitute for one another but leave the crystal structure intact in the process. “n olivine, iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) do this, so the Olivine Series has two end members. Favalite is the iron-rich version, while forsterite is the magnesium-rich version, although any combination of magnesium and iron is possible” (UM, n.d.). This sample much like quartz and its glass-like feel and appearance and difficulty to scratch, was easy to identify as not being quartz. The olive green color of this sample made it stand out from quartz. Gemstones and brick making are among the uses for olivine.