Basic Introduction to Yunxian Mi Huang Yu
“Mi Huang Yu,” also known as “Pine Resin Yellow,” gets its name from its golden yellow color. Its texture is fine and smooth, with a pure and naturally translucent hue, earning it the names “Yellow Quartz,” “Yellow Agate,” and “Gold Jade,” though it is not a true jade. As a type of marble, its main component is calcite crystals, which give it a yellow color due to the presence of chromium. The primary sources are in the Danjiangkou reservoir area of Hubei and Henan provinces (including the towns of Tan Shan and Liu Dong in Yunxian County, Hubei, and De Sheng in Zhushan, as well as Miao Gang in Neixiang and Wei Ying in Xichuan, Henan). The region around Tan Shan in northeastern Yunxian County is especially renowned for its deposits.
Product Characteristics
The mineral composition of Mi Huang Yu is primarily dolomite, followed by calcite and minor amounts of quartz. Due to variations in the content of coloring elements or impurities, the stone often exhibits different shades of yellow, with honey yellow and standard yellow being most common, but it can also appear in light yellow, brownish yellow, and other hues. It has a waxy luster or glassy luster and is micro-transparent to semi-transparent. It has a cryptocrystalline or fine-grained structure, blocky texture, and is dense, fine, and tough. Its hardness ranges from 4.3 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and it is brittle. Its density is approximately 2.7 grams per cubic centimeter, and its compressive strength averages 2478 kg/cm2.
Historical and Folklore
Tan Shan Town has large reserves of marble, with many varieties and high quality. More than ten types have been identified, including Mi Huang Yu, Han Bai Yu (white marble), Lotus Leaf Green, Peach Blossom Red, Silver Pigeon Gray, Inkstone Black, Wood Grain Stone, and others. Mi Huang Yu, in particular, has the largest resource deposits in Hubei Province, with colors and textures that are rare in China.
“Mi Huang Yu” was first discovered in 1981 in Dong Yue Village, Tan Shan Town, Yunxian County. Locals called it “Bai Jian Shi” (White Tip Stone), and its current name was adopted in 1996 (named by miners from Henan's Zhenping who believed the stone reached the standard of jade).
According to geological and mineral resources surveys, the Mi Huang Yu reserves in Tan Shan total 38.667 million cubic meters, with remaining reserves of 35.485 million cubic meters. The main sources are in Liu Quan Village and Dong Yue Village. In 2011, a 40-ton piece of Mi Huang Yu marble was excavated at a mine in Dong Yue Village. Additionally, there are two small Mi Huang Yu mines in the Liu Dong – Bai Sang Guan area, with total reserves of 4.2 million cubic meters.
Development of “Mi Huang Yu” marble in Yunxian County began in 1989. Currently, there are three marble mining companies operating in the area (San Tai Stone Company and Tian Ci Stone Art Company), producing a total of 0.36 million cubic meters of Mi Huang Yu annually. Mi Huang Yu is an excellent material for crafts and decorative purposes. Tan Shan Min Fu Craft Factory produces a range of “Mi Huang Yu” crafts, including vases, health products, figurines, animal sculptures, jade ships, tea sets, scholar's objects (pen holders, pen rests, rulers, seals), feng shui balls, lucky charms, and other decorations, totaling over 50 varieties. These items are popular in the market and exported to countries such as the United States, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, establishing Tan Shan as the “Chinese Mi Huang Yu Capital.”