Visiting a Beijing Jade Factory

The first place we stopped on our tour of Beijing was a government-run jade factory. Many tours offset costs by including a visit to this type of factory. The tours are interesting, but the items for sale are usually overpriced. However, you an generally consider the items more genuine than what you buy on the street, and there are often prices at the low end of the scale to buy more as a memento than art.

The internet is full of warnings about the jade factories, so use your own judgment. I would hate for someone to miss a good opportunity out of fear that they are going to be suckered into buying something they don't want. If you are a sucker, don't visit. If not, why not? The experience is fun. We stopped on our way out to the Great Wall, which we visited outside of Beijing, where it is less crowded. The jade shop was huge with plenty of room to freely roam. The salespeople were not overly aggressive.

The tour began with a demonstration on how jade is sculpted into the art and jewelry on display. We were also given a primer on how to tell real jade from fake. The demonstration lasted about ten minutes before we were freed up to explore the factory on our own. There were statues on one side of the factory and jewelry on the other. There were large sculptures and small, intricate ones. There were many beautiful examples. We ended up purchasing some very cheap bracelets right before we boarded the bus. That is generally the best time to buy something if you are on a tour. If you aren't particular about what you are buying. If you are looking for something specific, you are obviously going to pay more.

With that, I will leave you with some photos of the exceptional jade pieces we saw when we visited:

Yes, that is a giant sculpture of a cabbage. I particularly liked the storks, which were intricately carved from a stone that had two colors. The balance and careful consideration of the design were amazing to me. Many of these statues were life-sized or even bigger. It was a fun visit. We spent about an hour here before we continued on to visit the Great Wall. If you get a chance, visit the factory. It's a fun diversion and it doesn't cost anything. Unless you decide to buy something.

All photos are my own. They may be used with permission.