Firstly, Herbert thanks for the info about the book focused on the excavtion sites. I have not got it in my hands yet, but hopefully soon!

I was wondering what the thoughts are on the animal carvings of the hongshan period being clan totems?

I have only seen a few images of the sites, and in the ones that I can identify I can make out that in one grave there were two zhulongs and in another there were two tortoises (it looks as if they were placed in the hands of the deceased).

Are there sites where a variety of animals are found in a single grave?

Brian

Dear Fred!
Hope that you get the Fanshan/Liangzhu books rapidly.Otherwise i can speed up thing locally if you need
My knowledge of Hongshan Jades is quite limited and have no knowledge if any representation also in the Liangzhu area is related to a clan. My very personal guess is that a clan connection symbol would have probably used more easely shaped and more readily available material if it would have been used as distinctive sign or badge but i have not been there!
If everything goes well i will be in Hetien around the 24th of August so see River Jade digging.
regards Herbert

Well Herbert I invested the $150 on the books and they should arrive next week, I'll now, just have to do do without the caviar on my crackers!

Fantastic, I really hope to get over there soon too. Would you consider it safe to be wandering around the kunluns with a tent and a rock hammer?

Brian

Dear Brian!
The City of Hotien organizes a 3 day seminar on River Jade and we will be probaly driven to the sites by airconditioned bus. Sorry no Yak or Mongolian pony rides like Marco Polo or the Schlagintweit's.
The most dangerous condition there is altitude sickness (>15.000 feet) when you go the the "mountain jade" sites.
Hotien is in the plain.

regards

Is it still likely that you will find a little white and russet treasure in the river at these sites? Probably you just have to be very lucky!
Will it be similar sites to those that you visited a while ago with Russell Beck et al.


You wrote an article on a Dam awhile back too, has that project been finished? would that affect accessibilty?

cheers,

Dear Brian!
It is my first visit to Hotien except if i am a reincarnation of Marco Polo! The Karakax dam is finished and probably all the goodies are piling up behind it. Most of the extraction of the precious white stuff is however via mechanized gravel shifting at the White Jade or Yurungkax river.
We will certainly have the opportunity to "find" aka. "aquire" river pebbles. The current price in Hangzhou is between 5 - 20$ THE GRAM but will try
get as much as possible my finances will allow me. Sorry - no credit cards accepted! I am reachable there via my phone under giessmobile@bluewin.ch or SMS +41796081771.
Herbert

I received the two volumes of Fanshan! Thanks for recomending this book Herbert, it was exactly what I was looking for. The overview images of the tombs with the jade objects in situ followed by very detailed images of the individual items all cleaned up. Brilliant. It does not cover the hongshan era but it is very interesting to see the similarities and the differences.

Thing is...though the book does answer a few of my questions or quandries it definitely stimulates far more!


Your right Herbert, you haven't been to Hotien before! I dug back through my brain cells and found in was Stan Leaming who did the trip. He talks about it in his Jade Fever book.

Yes, at that price I certainly hope you can find them in the river then :)

Has this extraction occurred? and what was the outcome?