Jade jewelry is a traditional industry in Yunnan and has a history of more than 600 years. Jadeite has been used and spread all across the world since being discovered by Yunnan people. Therefore, Yunnan was known in ancient times as the home of jadeite.

Jadeite is a kind of green or red jade. It is a polycrystal consisting of jade stone, omphacite and kosmochlor.

Yunnan sits close to Burma, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam and is an important market for jewelry distribution, processing and sales. It has evolved into a well-known jadeite province. In 2010, there were 2.55 million pieces of jade sold in Yunnan, including 2.29 million pieces of jadeite, accounting for 89.8 percent of the total. The jade jewelry industry has become a pillar economy, with annual sales of more than 24 billion yuan.