Belonging in Jade

In Chinese Culture, a jade bangle is a fashionable, but also protective, amulet. In China, Jade represents the virtues of compassion, courage, justice, wisdom, and modesty. Jade has always been a status symbol to show class and even the Chinese character for jade (玉,yù) is similar to the character for king (王, wáng). In my family, my mother finds comfort in protection stones and money manifestation crystals. This is all part of her feng shui practices. However, I have never once seen her wear the signature Chinese jade bangle. Growing up around Chinese ā yí’s (Aunties) I always loved the way their jade bangles looked, but I never had the chance to wear one till now. My hands were always too big for the dainty bangles intended for petite women. My mother insists that she does too much work to wear a jade bangle, fearing the possibility of getting it damaged or broken. Instead, she has a collection of small jade Buddha statues. When my mother attended summer school in Guangzhou and worked in a construction company, many of the construction workers found jade scraps and told my mother she could keep them as souvenirs. After a visit with a family friend who is an artist, the scraps were transformed into beautiful new statues.

 

Jade has been integral to Chinese culture since the Neolithic period, around 6000 BCE, when it was carved into traditional ritual objects. Over time, it gained significance for its association with moral values and spirituality. Jade, specifically nephrite, is described as the hardest and rarest hard stone in China. While nephrite was known and used since ancient times, jadeite, another form of jade, was not introduced to China until the 18th century CE.  Over time, carving and polishing methods advanced, yielding finely crafted jade pieces with intricate details. I am reminded of the intricate jade jewelry, statues, and artifacts, each bearing its unique shades of green and traces of history. Each item bears not only its unique shades of green but also traces of centuries of tradition and cultural significance.

 

The jade bangle lying in my white ceramic dish was purchased by me a few months ago on a trip to New York. This was my first time in New York, so I had to visit the extremely popular Chinatown as soon as I got there. My boyfriend is white and has a passion for cooking Chinese food after working at several Michelin-star Asian restaurants. This is why the majority of our time in Chinatown was spent eating delicious foods. After our bellies were full and our wallets were barren we decided to walk around awhile longer. A little while into our walk, the New York winter breeze hit us hard and we wanted to find a store to escape into. The store on our left had porcelain fountains, traditional Chinese paintings, and long rows of painted tea sets. Upon walking in, a kind older Chinese woman greeted us with a warm smile. She immediately began to describe the sales she offered in the very little English she spoke. Typically I am presumed not of Chinese descent by Chinese people, so it never is their first instinct to speak Mandarin to me. I could tell she was struggling to communicate so I responded to her in my slightly broken Mandarin. Her smile grew and her eyes lit up with excitement “你会说中文?” (You can speak Chinese?). She began to tell me how happy she was that I could speak her mother tongue. She explained how frustrating speaking English was and how few people who come into her store speak Chinese. She also didn’t skip a beat in expressing her genuine warmth, showering me with compliments about my beauty and height. It felt like she was a close family friend, an ā yí (Auntie) my mother knew. Before this moment, I never really felt Chinese. Being mixed, it's often a challenge to fit in without standing out. Yet, in that quaint little shop in Chinatown, the saleswoman's kindness transcended my internal struggle. Her eagerness to speak Mandarin and her genuine warmth made me feel welcomed, as if I belonged in that moment, without any trace of doubt or hesitation. In her eyes, I wasn't just a customer; I was a part of the culture she cherished, and for the first time, I felt truly seen and accepted.

 

After chatting for a few minutes and showing us around the store, she took me to her jewelry display. She picked up a jade bangle and asked me if I liked them. I nodded my head and she proceeded to kindly yet aggressively push the bangle over my hand. She tried different sizes and all shades of green until one slipped over my hand and fit nicely on my wrist. I smiled. It made me feel elegant, poised, and at peace. The smooth, cool touch of the stone against my skin evoked a sense of serenity, like a gentle breeze on a spring day. As I admired the bracelet I tried on, a subtle skepticism crept in. While it exuded an undeniable allure, a part of me couldn't shake the suspicion that it might not be genuine jade. Despite the warmth and kindness of the saleswoman, my Chinese heritage nudged me to question its authenticity and consider bargaining for a better price. Though I personally didn't mind its authenticity, a sense of obligation weighed on me. I knew all too well that my Chinese mother would be ashamed if I ended up unwittingly purchasing something fake at an inflated price. The saleswoman haggled back with me until we found a mutually agreeable price. She found the matching laminated authenticity certificate and handed it to me along with my change. 

 

However, I may never know if the bangle is genuine, as the QR code on the authenticity certificate has expired. Despite this uncertainty, it doesn't really matter to me. The true value of the bangle lies in its symbolism and the connection it provides to my cultural roots. As I finally find a jade bangle that fits snugly around my wrist, I feel a sense of connection to my cultural roots. I feel a sense of continuity with the virtues of compassion, courage, justice, wisdom, and modesty that jade represents. This piece of jewelry is not just an accessory but a meaningful link to my heritage, a symbol of the virtues of compassion, courage, justice, wisdom, and modesty embodied in the jade itself. Wearing the bangle also bridges a connection to my mother. Although she never wore one herself, her appreciation for jade and its significance in our culture was always evident. Her collection of small jade Buddha statues and her stories about finding jade scraps in Guangzhou showed me how jade can manifest in different forms, each carrying its own story and significance. My mother’s careful preservation of jade, even in the form of statues, reflects her deep respect for its cultural and spiritual value. By wearing this bangle, I feel a closer bond to her practices and beliefs, embracing a piece of our shared heritage in a way that feels uniquely my own. This jade bangle, a simple circle of stone, embodies the elegance of my heritage and the lasting bond with my mother but also reminds me of the kind woman who shared her culture and kindness with me.