Sihui City: A new look at the “Hometown of Chinese Jade”

Sihui City: A new look at the “Hometown of Chinese Jade”

Released by Sihui City 2023-12-20 12:26 Published in Guangdong

From December 16th to 23rd, 2023, the 2023 China·Sihui Jade Culture Festival and China-Myanmar Jade Industry Development Conference were held in Sihui. The Sihui welcomed guests and friends from all directions with its rich cultural heritage and open and inclusive mind.

Gathering from all directions, it is the hometown of Chinese jade. As a nationally renowned jade city, Sihui has successively won the titles of “China’s Hometown of Jade”, “China’s Jade Processing Base”, “China’s Characteristic Jewelry and Jade Industry Base” and “Lingnan Jade School Culture and Art Inheritance Site”. Currently, it owns jewelry There are about 3,000 jade processing enterprises and workshops (including inlays).

The jade culture emanating from the jade industry has been integrated into the urban fabric of Sihui, leading the local economic and social development. Today's Sihui ranks 91st among the top 100 counties and cities in terms of comprehensive strength in the country in 2023, and has been rated as a "National Civilized City", "Hometown of Citrus in China" and "Hometown of Jade in China".

A century of inheritance and development

Become the world's largest jadeite wholesale market

As the only way to connect the east gate of Zhaoqing and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the southwest, Sihui is named after the convergence of the Xijiang, Beijiang, Suijiang and Longjiang rivers. It has a history of 2,237 years and is the oldest establishment in Lingnan. one of the counties.

Sihui does not produce jade raw materials, but by chance, it has an endless relationship with jade.

Sihui was selected as one of the top 100 counties and cities in terms of comprehensive strength in the country in 2023, and was rated as a "National Civilized City", "Hometown of Citrus in China" and "Hometown of Jade in China"

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, due to the war turmoil in the revolutionary years, a group of Sihui people who worked as apprentices in jade workshops in Guangzhou returned to Sihui to engage in jade processing, igniting the "spark" of Sihui jade.

After the founding of New China, Sihui Jade has gone through a 30-year foundation stage, from the "Jingkou Jade Carving Craft Group" and "Jade Team-run Processing Enterprise" in the early days of the founding of New China, to the formal establishment of the "Sihui County Jade Craft Factory" in 1971. , the prototype of Sihui jade industry has basically taken shape. In the late 1970s, the Sihui County Jade Craft Factory grew to have more than 100 jade carving masters, and its machinery and equipment was upgraded to an electric production line using electric motors.

In 1986, the Sihui County Jade Craft Factory closed down, and more than 300 employees who left the factory became the backbone of the vigorous development of the Sihui jade processing industry. Under the background of reform and opening up, craftsmen have begun to operate as self-employed businesses, making Sihui jade gradually spread across the country and exported overseas, becoming an emerging production base for jade in China.

In the 1990s, with the support and guidance of the Sihui Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, the Sihui jade industry further expanded, and the Jade Street and Jade City were built successively, plus the early Tianguang Market. The business products complemented each other, forming a prosperous Sihui jade industry. professional market circle.

Entering the new century, with the joint promotion of the government, enterprises and associations, the development of Sihui jade has shown a prairie fire potential. In 2006, with the strong support of the government, the China (Sihui) International Jade City project was officially put into operation; in 2009, Yuruyi Jade City officially opened; in 2012, Yuruyi Ornament City, the only wholesale market specializing in jade ornaments in the country, opened.

At present, the Sihui has formed an industrial structure with full development of procurement, processing and sales. It processes more than 10,000 tons of jadeite every year, has about 33,000 jade dealers, nearly 500 e-commerce live broadcast companies, and nearly 300,000 employees. It is the world's largest jade wholesale market and jade processing and sales distribution center integrating production, supply and sales. Jade ornaments account for more than 80% of the domestic market share, and jade pendants and accessories account for more than 70% of the domestic market share.

Sihui has 17 jade professional markets (bases) with unique characteristics

With the development and growth of the jade industry, Sihui has formed a jade culture of "Jade benevolence, Jade righteousness, Jade wisdom, Jade courage, and Jade purity". The citizens of Sihui, migrant workers and visitors from all walks of life jointly built the "City of Jade Virtue", forming a strong atmosphere in the whole society of advocating virtue and doing good, thinking about talents when seeing talents, and practicing virtue in the world.

Actively seek change and innovation

Create a benchmark for the online live streaming industry

"Innovation is a temperament written in the genes of Sihui's jade industry." The relevant person in charge of Sihui Wanxinglong Jade City said that Sihui is always at the forefront at every stage of the development of the jade industry and always embraces changes.

Around 2015, affected by the economic environment, sales in many traditional jade stores began to tighten. Sihui jade people began to think about changes. From selling goods through "micro-business" in the early days to "walking around" in the market, there were many new faces holding mobile phones. After entering the store, he gradually created a new sales model of "Internet + Auction + Live Broadcast".

In 2020, the Sihui signed a cooperation agreement with Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd. to jointly build the "Douyin Live Broadcast Base" of the Sihui into an industry benchmark and promote the rapid development of the Internet + e-commerce live broadcast of the Sihui jade industry.

Once again, Sihui drank the "Tou Tao Soup" of the new stage of jade development. At present, various large and small online platforms across the country, such as Taobao, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Duizhuang, have settled in Sihui. Online sales account for more than 60% of total sales, attracting more than 60,000 young e-commerce practitioners from all over the country. Go to Sihui to find a job and start a business.

Sihui jade live broadcast industry is booming

Jade carving craftsmanship is a precious intangible cultural heritage of Sihui. It has the four characteristics of "fineness, novelty, skill and charm". Every finished product carries the jade carver's ingenuity and skills.

As the "leader" of the national jade industry, Sihui continues to actively explore the standardization of the jade industry, and builds a gathering place for jade cultural creativity and design sources with the support of talents.

At present, the Sihui has introduced a team of jade carving talents ranging from Chinese jade carving masters to ordinary carving workers. It has 4 Chinese jade carving masters, 4 provincial arts and crafts masters, and 78 provincial jade carving experts. Master and more than 10 representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage projects. Various industry talents such as jewelry appraisers and jewelry designers have gathered in Sihui to display their talents, providing strong talent support for the improvement of the Sihui jade brand. The exquisite jade carvings of Sihui have won numerous awards in major authoritative jade carving competitions in China, which confirms the high level of jade design and production of Sihui and demonstrates the huge influence of Sihui's jade industry at home and abroad.

In terms of talent training, the Four Conferences adopt a combination of "go out and invite in" to form a tripartite cooperation model of "academy, enterprise and association", and have signed teaching and training agreements with a number of colleges and universities such as Zhaoqing University and Guangzhou Huashang University. The agreement guides industry chambers of commerce (associations) to hold classes and students enter companies for internships and employment. Focus on the cultivation and introduction of high-end talents in the industry, and vigorously promote the application of jade carving as intangible cultural heritage, the application of provincial masters of industrial arts, the evaluation of intermediate professional titles in arts and crafts majors, and the application of master studios.

Sihui jade carving work "Dunhuang Flying Sky"

Extend chain, strengthen chain, strengthen chain

 "Jade+" industry integrated development

Throughout the development history of the Sihui jade industry, openness, inclusiveness and innovation have become the foundation of the industry.

Jadeite produced in Myanmar has created a large-scale jade industry in Sihui. The Sihui jade industry consists of four major parts: jade raw stone trading market, jade processing, jade trade market, and jade service industry. There are 17 unique professional markets (bases) such as "Tianguang Market".

In recent years, the Sihui jade industry chain has been continuously improved, forming an industrial chain that integrates upstream procurement and design, midstream manufacturing innovation, processing, and appraisal, downstream wholesale, exhibition and sales, and online and offline integration. In addition, related supporting industry chains such as auxiliary materials, design packaging, fine processing, jewelry equipment, processing equipment, process exchanges, talent training and financial services have also emerged as the times require, integrating and promoting common development with the jewelry and jade industry.

Sihui Jade work "Icing on the Cake"

"Whether it is from the perspective of aesthetic experience, product experience or consumption experience, the Sihui tourism + jade industry has great potential and can achieve the industrial integration development effect of 1+1>2." The relevant person in charge of the Sihui Jade Office said that currently the Sihui is vigorously Promoting the organic integration of the jade industry with culture, tourism and other industries, China Sihui Jade Expo City and Douyin Live Broadcast Base have been successfully rated as AAA tourist attractions, and jade cultural tourism has now become one of Sihui’s premium tourist routes. During every festival, many citizens, tourists and merchants are keen to go to Sihui to appreciate and buy beautiful jade and feel the strong cultural atmosphere of jade. The jade market is booming in both purchases and sales.

In 2017, the Sihui Jade Cultural Characteristic Town Creation Demonstration Site was listed as the first batch of provincial-level characteristic town creation targets. The town has a total planned area of approximately 9.2 square kilometers, bounded by the Pearl River Delta Ring Expressway in the east and Guangchang North Road in the west. It stretches along the Sihui Suijiang National Wetland Park in the south and Huancheng Road in the north.

The town is divided into two parts: the core area and the expansion area. The core area of the town is bounded by the Pearl River Delta Outer Ring Expressway in the east, Guangzhou North Road in the west, Sihui Avenue in the south, and Huancheng Road in the north. The total area is about 4.09 square kilometers, forming a spatial structure of "one core, one axis and four clusters", and the development is positioned as "Lingnan Jade City Cultural Tourism Zen Town", "National Jade Industry Economic Highland, Guangdong Province Industry-City Integration Demonstration Base, and Greater Bay Area Jade Culture Tourism" destination".

In order to further break the circle, strengthen the chain and extend the chain, in May 2023, the Fourth Congress invited a delegation of the Myanmar Ambassador to China to visit the Sihui Jade Market. The two parties conducted comprehensive and in-depth communication and docking on how to further strengthen cooperation and exchanges, establish sister cities and other matters. .

Currently, the Sihui is anchoring the top priority of high-quality development, promoting the development and growth of the jade industry with greater courage and from a higher starting point, and striving to build the country's largest jade capital with the most complete chain, the best supporting facilities and the best services. .

Gold merchants, diamond merchants, and jewelry merchants from all over the world are welcome to visit Sihui City in China.

Gold merchants, diamond merchants, and jewelry merchants from all over the world are welcome to set up offices in Sihui City, China.

Sihui City welcomes you very much.

Sihui City is very short of gold merchants, diamond merchants, and jewelry merchants.

Sihui City Investment Promotion Center

Contact information

Tel: +86 758 3611228

Fax: +86 758 3611228

Email: shqyfw@vip.163.com

Website: https://www.sihui.gov.cn/gzjg/shszsj/zsjgz/index.html