Hong Kong’s fei cui jewellery and jade products have earned international renown for decades. Besides the jewellery shops in various districts, fei cui jewellery can also be found at the jade bazaar and the jade street in Yau Ma Tei, and the ‘Fei Cui Gallery’ organised by the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association (HKJJA) at the June and September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. For this section we have paid visits to Canton Road and created a handy sourcing map of fei cui jewellery and jade products in the area. Besides, we have interviewed several ‘Fei Cui Gallery’ exhibitors for an update on the industry’s recent development.
In the early 1950’s, owing to the changes of China’s political situation, many of the Mainland’s jade craftsmen immigrated to Hong Kong and settled down in the area of Canton Road (from Jordan Road to Gansu Street), and resumed their jade businesses. Yau Kim Wing, perpetual president of the Hong Kong Jade Association, perpetual honorary president of Hong Kong & Kowloon Jade Merchants Union Association and consultant of HKJJA laboratory and technology committee, recalled that until the 1960s, apart from jade shops, there were a lot of vendors gathered along the sidewalk of the Nam King Street area to sell finished fei cui products. The area soon became a known centralised marketplace for jade.
In 1972, the former US president Richard Nixon visited China, which drove the wave of China-craze. As a result, Hong Kong’s jade products exported to Southeast Asia, Europe, the United States, etc other than serving the local market. In the 1970s, Canton Road jade street entered into its heyday with over 100 shops and some stalls along the streets. Thus, the name of ‘Jade Street’ has gained remarkable recognition in the industry.
Since the late 90’s, Hong Kong has become the world’s leading jade producer and trading centre; and the city’s jade production topped the world’s output. Jade raw materials and finished products from Canton Road accounted for over 80 percent of global supply. In 1984, in order to arrange a placement for jade hawkers, the authority set up ‘Yau Ma Tei Jade Hawker Bazaar’ Zone A and B at Gansu Street, where around 400 stalls mainly offer low-to-medium jewellery set with jade, various types of gemstones, handcrafts, etc. In 2005, Canton Road (from Jordan Road to Gansu Street) was officially named ‘Jade Street’ by the government.
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