Yangzhou Jade Carving

Yangzhou is a major centre of Chinese jade carving, with a history reaching back over four thousand years to the Xia. In the Ming and Qing it peaked, sustained by the wealth of salt merchants and imperial commissions—"jade from anywhere, but the craft from Yangzhou."

Yangzhou jade carving works to the material, with techniques spanning relief, openwork and movable-chain carving. It excels at large "mountain" scenes and delicate vessels, marked by fine cutting and rich layering.

Yangzhou jade carving entered the first national ICH list in 2006. It is an outstanding representative of the southern school of Chinese jade carving and carries a deep tradition of decorative art.