Origin of Hetian Jade
Hetian jade is named after its abundant production in southern Xinjiang. In ancient times, Hetian was called "Yutian" in Tibetan, which means "the place where jade is produced." To the south of the Hetian area lies the Karakoram Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, and connects with the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Hetian jade is distributed in the Kunlun Mountains to the south of the Hetian area, starting from the east of Tashkurgan County in Kashgar area to An Dale塔格 (Andale Tagh) and Alaz Mountain, passing through Sangzhu塔格 (Sangzhu Tagh), Tiekelike塔格 (Tiekelike Tagh), and Liush塔格 (Liush Tagh) in the south of Hetian area, and ending at the northern wing of Altun Mountain in the south of Qiemo County's Sula Muning塔格 (Sula Muning Tagh). The jade ore belt of Hetian stretches over 1,100 kilometers. On the high mountains are distributed the primary deposits and ore points of Hetian jade, and many rivers also produce...