Jade carving expo to open in Yangzhou

The Jue Suet artwork of yi (匜) with dragon and phoenix carvings is exhibited at the International Exhibition Center in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/gjzx.jschina.com.cn]

The 10th China Jade Carving Expo will be held at the International Exhibition Center in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province from April 16-19. Small or medium sized jade carvings by Yangzhou artisans impressed early visitors during a preview of the exhibition held on April 13.

A jade artwork of yi (匜), an antique-style water jug used to wash guests' hands, with dragon and phoenix carvings on it attracts visitors' particular attention. It is the size of a small jug, but worth over ten million yuan ($1.6million), experts estimate. It is due to the fact that it was made from a whole Jue Suet, the most precious kind of Hetian jade, and took the Yangzhou artisan Yang Guang one year to finish the carving on the delicate craft.

The Yangzhou artisans used to make large-sized jade carvings. However, the popularity of small and medium sized carvings in the collectors’ market has led them to change the size of their works.

Apart from the Dragon and Phoenix Yi, a variety of jade carvings worth in excess of one million yuan will be on display at the expo.

Since 2006, the jade carvings expo in Yangzhou has developed into a renowned event in the arts and crafts market in China.

A jade carving named "Alive Spring" is exhibited at the International Exhibition Center in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province.[Photo/gjzx.jschina.com.cn]