After my basic first trip to China to learn Chinese medicine, tai chi, and some Chinese culture, I decided to return two months later for a Chinese medicine treatment for my life-long fibromyalgia. I was also starting menopause, hot flashes so intense I felt like I would melt through Earth! Three weeks of the herbal medicine the doctor prescribed, and miraculously the menopause was over. And the gua sha treatment and acupuncture helped the fibromyalgia very much.
I fell in love with Chinese medicine, and jade.
The next summer when I had vacation time from my job, I made a reservation at a hotel in Beijing for another trip. I asked the hotel if they could provide a Chinese doctor to treat my jet lag and fibromyalgia when I arrived. The doctor was excellent. Dr Li and I talked afterwards, and I learned he taught tai chi, the Beijing style their military does. I told him I had been doing yoga and was a Reiki master, and we both wanted to learn more from each other. He also arranged for me to go to Dandong to meet a person who worked with jade carvers to make the jade gua sha tools, jade rollers, and other jade healing tools.
We took the 15 hour train ride to Dandong, where I met with Mr. Ma who took us to Xiuyan. We spent a day exploring the jade carvers, jade suppliers, and I made my first purchases. The jade tools were made for use by Chinese doctors, not "souvenies" intended for export and commercial use. So the jade gua sha and other tools were made according to Chinese medicine standards.
I won't tell you how much fun it was hauling all that heavy jade to the airport in luggage and home again!
But more adventure in Dandong. Dandong is across the Yalu River from North Korea. There is a bridge that is used for traffic across. There is also another bridge that was bombed by the USA during the Korean war that is very anti-USA oriented. I didn't know why both Dr Li and Mr Ma were trying to avoid it for me, but when I went out by myself to look at it, I sure felt the hatred toward us Americans. They wanted to protect me from that. Also, it was rare at that time for Americans to visit Dandong. I asked about the boat ride that was on the Yalu River, and we decided to go.
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| Mr Ma and me on the Yalu River with controversial bridge This photo was taken before I learned you don't smile for pictures |
I started the Ying Yu Jade website with the Chinese jade. It's genuine, natural jade that has been used for centuries in China. It's not a gemstone, so there are no "certificates of gemology testing" that are included with it. If you see Chinese jade "with a certificate", be very suspicious because I have seen those mass produced for "foreigners" who want "proof" it's real jade. And these certificate producers will sell you these certificates for anything green, including the quartz that is often fraudulently sold as "jade".
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| Ying Yu Jade |
All the items in the photos are Chinese jade except the Burmese jadeite bangle bracelet in the lower right, my personal jade bangle. This photo is very representative of Ying Yu Jade, the jade roller, gua sha tool with comb, carved "double dragons" black jade bangle bracelet on Dragon, and the Dynasty style carved jade bangle bracelet in the center, that my jade carver made just for Ying Yu Jade. We went to a government jade museum and saw very old and very new Chinese jade, and I learned a lot through that experience.
Ying Yu Jade still sells the genuine natural and made to Chinese medicine standards health tools, as well as bangle bracelets, pendants, carvings and more unique items made by my jade carver. Jade selling has changed since I started, for example jade eggs for kegel exercise for women are now often made too large and can cause health problems instead of what they are intended-vaginal health. If you want the best jade, you know where to shop: from my jade carver in China, or for less adventure on Ying Yu Jade.
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