I. The Million-Year Legacy of Zhushan Turquoise: Prehistory to Myth
World’s Oldest Turquoise Artifact (1.012 Million Years Ago)
At Zhushan’s Yunxian Man Site—nationally protected cultural relics—archaeologists found a blood-red turquoise pendant. It lay beside a 1.012-million-year-old hominid skull. Carved with beast teeth, the pendant has a 1.2mm drill hole. It’s the oldest known gemstone adornment in human history, 800,000 years older than Egypt’s first turquoise crown. This proves early Han River valley inhabitants mastered ore processing long before written records.
Further evidence comes from Shang-Zhou dynasty bronze vessels at Wuhan’s Panlongcheng Site. Their inlaid turquoise, traced to Zhushan, confirms the Shangshu Yugong record of “Jingzhou tribute jade” over 3,000 years ago.
Nüwa’s Mythical Connection: The Sky-Patching Stones
On 1,200m Nüwa Mountain, rust-red cliffs veined with turquoise are seen as relics of ancient mythology. The Huainanzi tells how goddess Nüwa melted multicolored stones to repair the sky. Today, Baofeng Town’s 39m Nüwa Altar—built from 108 natural turquoise stones—brings this legend to life.
Global attention came in 2022 when the Beijing Winter Olympics used a “Yungai Temple Blue” turquoise emblem as a state gift, blending ancient symbolism with modern craft.
II. From Mine to Masterpiece: 72 Steps of Craft and Tech
Micro-Sculpture: Precision in 0.01mm
In Majiadu Town’s Zhuo’er Turquoise Town, artisan Li Hai embodies Zhushan’s craft mastery. Using a 0.01mm knife, he carves Han River Fisherman along natural iron veins in turquoise: the cyan stone becomes the river, iron lines mimic reeds, and a 0.5mm boat shows a fisherman’s cape. His 15g masterpiece, Wudang Cloud Sea—micro-sculpting 36 Wudang temple eaves—joined the British Museum in 2023, the first contemporary Chinese turquoise artifact there.
21st-Century Quality Certification
Shiyan’s International Turquoise Quality Center enforces a triple-certification system:
- X-Ray Spectroscopy: 0.01% precision on copper-aluminum ratios for color authenticity
- Vacuum Pressure Testing: Simulates 500m underground pressure for durability
- Master Craftsperson Inspection: Requires ≥95% “porcelain-glass luster” for excellence
Twelve official colors—like “Qin Gu Blue” and “Yishui Blue”—now have blockchain certificates tracing each stone to its mine. The 2024 “Nüwa Cup” winner, Dunhuang Flying Apsara (a 3mm stone slice with Mogao murals), sold for $1,680/gram, blending tradition and tech.
III. Zhushan’s Green Revolution: Mines to 4A Tourism
Daxigou Mine: History Meets Adventure
Once State Mine 701, now a 4A industrial tourism park, lets visitors trace turquoise’s journey:
- Glass cable cars glide over the 800m-deep “Mirror of Heaven,” a cloud-reflecting pit with historic cranes
- Holographic tunnels recreate 1958 mining scenes with shaking floors and drilling sounds
- Mineral labs offer hands-on science: dissecting turquoise molecules (CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·5H₂O) and crafting glow-in-art with ore powder
Soul of Stone: A ¥120M(converted to US dollars is $16,476,000) Sustainable Spectacle
Baofeng Town’s immersive show uses 3D mapping and sensory tech. 108 dancers in LED turquoise costumes perform “Birth of Stone,” “Craftsman’s Spirit,” and “Ecological Rebirth” against a giant Nüwa mural. Motion seats (12-level vibration) and scent systems (pine resin, earthy ore) simulate mining and carving. The finale gifts “Wish Stones”—recycled turquoise scraps engraved with China’s “Lucid Waters & Lush Mountains” mantra. Since debut, it draws 500,000 annual visitors, boosting green GDP from 12% (2015) to 68% (2024).
Symbiosis in Stone: Nature and Humanity
At the Zhushan Turquoise Museum, the 66kg “King of Raw Ore” symbolizes nature’s art. Its natural China-map pattern, with cracks forming “Yangtze” and “Yellow River” lines, represents humanity’s harmony with the earth. From prehistoric toolmakers to today’s innovators, Zhushan’s legacy shows: civilization’s brightest ideas start with respecting nature and transforming stone into story.
Visit Zhushan, Shiyan—where a million-year-old gem bridges past, present, and future. More than “China’s Turquoise Capital,” it’s a living museum of human creativity, etched in stone.
