The stone has eight basic colors, which blend or combine in different layers: red, black, white, yellow, green, blue, gray, and purple. The colors produce a natural dying effect that makes the stone beautiful to look at. The red component of the stone is natural cinnabar, which has the brightest red color among all minerals, plants, and animals on earth. The cinnabar in chicken blood stone is believed to protect people from evil and to bring good luck and fortune. Chicken blood stone is seen as more powerful than jade, which is also considered capable of protecting people from evil. In Chinese tradition, the color red is symbolic of good luck. Thus the Chinese like to give red seals or chicken blood stone to bless people for events such as marriages, birthdays, promotions, and success.

Origins

Chicken blood stone is found only in Changhua County (Linan district, Zhejiang Province) in China and Balin County in Inner Mongolia. However, the stones extracted from the former region are considered more precious and valuable for their higher quality and vibrant color. Balin stones contain less cinnabar and are looser and softer in texture and appearance. Currently, the chicken blood stone vein in Changhua has already been depleted because the mines were excavated ever since the time of the dynasties in China.

Chicken blood stone's place of origin is the Yu Yan Mountain, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, in the Changhua area of China. The stone consists of natural clay compounds such as dickite, kaolinite, and pyrophyllite. Besides cinnabar, the stone has small amounts of other elements that produce color, such as iron and titanium, and elements that sense light, such as selenium and tellurium. The differences in color and the fading or changing of the stone under sun or heat can be attributed to these elements.

Legend

Legend has it that once a pair of beautiful phoenixes came to live on Yu Yan Mountain. Their arrival brought prosperity and happiness to the other birds and animals living on the mountain. An ominous pair of bird lions arrived shortly afterwards, looking for phoenixes to eat. When the male phoenix went out to look for food during the hatching season, the bird lions attacked the female, which bravely fought back. When one of her legs was bitten off, blood spread all over Yu Yan Mountain. The red phoenix was still able to defeat the bird lions. Afterwards, she buried her eggs and left with her mate. After being buried for thousands of years, the phoenix blood and phoenix eggs in the mountain became the chicken blood stone so highly cherished today.

Historical descent

According to records, the first excavation occurred in the early Ming Dynasty, six hundred years ago. The excavator who found the chicken blood stone reported it and sent it to the emperor. During imperial times, all chicken blood stone had to be sent to the Imperial House, so commoners had no chance of ever seeing it in their lifetime. The stone was a national treasure exclusively owned by the imperial family. The emperor would give the stones to high-ranking officials on special occasions, and only officials above a certain rank were allowed to have it. The stones were also used as accessories on the hats of those officials to show honor. Thus, the stone became a symbol of power.

Known as the "Queen of Stones," one of the three "treasure seal stones" in China, chicken blood stone was made into imperial seals during the Ming and Ching Dynasties. The stone was first used to make seals for writing, painting, or carving. Imperial sculptors would classify the stones by quality and work very carefully to produce seals and other pieces such as exquisite sculptures. Since chicken blood stone has so many colors, producing fine pieces demands much time, expertise, and acumen in determining the best positions for different colors. In sculpting a crane or water buffalo for example, the crane's crown must be set at a red spot and the buffalo's body at a black spot. Works of chicken blood stone are thus superb artistic achievements requiring much skill and attention to detail.

Not until the late Ching Dynasty did chicken blood stone from the imperial collection fall into the hands of commoners. Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi of the late Ching Dynasty collected several stones in the Forbidden City for her personal enjoyment. But in 1900, because of the Boxer invasion, the Empress ordered the eunuchs to move the entire collection out. Smaller pieces were first moved while the bigger ones were hidden inside coffins and carried out during funeral parades. The Last Emperor, Pu-yi, even sold the treasures to raise money for his weddings. Most of them were eventually sold to people who were lucky and rich enough to buy them.

Chicken blood stone now exists in the hands of many people interested in it, including collectors in China, Taiwan, and Japan. When China began establishing formal diplomatic relations with Japan, former Premier Chou En-lai presented a pair of chicken blood stones to then Prime Minister Tanaka Kakue. Upon seeing the favorable red color--the Japanese national flag also has a red sun--and learning that the stone was a rare treasure owned by royalty, the Japanese began prizing it and buying out the stones in China in 1972. However, much of the chicken blood stone collection from the Ming and Ching dynasties had already been moved to Taiwan in 1949 (when the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan).

Today

Today chicken blood stone has been made available for the public to view through exhibitions such as the charity exhibition held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, in February 2003. One of the most famous collectors, Mr. Chen Ching, was invited to share more than 300 pieces of his collection with the public.

Chen has been collecting for more than 20 years, acquiring many precious and authentic pieces considered national treasures from the time of the dynasties. He says it is his duty to protect these Chinese treasures. Although he has run into numerous financial difficulties in collecting chicken blood stone, he has no intention of selling any part of his collection. However, he is more than willing to share with others the blessings these stones have brought him. He hopes to promote the culture of chicken blood stone so that the public can learn of its beauty, value, and place in Chinese history. In Chen's autobiography, one senior noted, "Maybe it's destiny that Changhua chicken blood stone will be exalted by you since your name sounds like the Chinese saying, 'turn stone into gold.'"

At the exhibition, many people had the opportunity to view exquisite chicken blood stone pieces including seals, sculptures, jewelry, and other accessories. All proceeds from the exhibition were donated to a hospital in Yulin, Taiwan.

In the sidebars on the following pages, a series of photos depict pieces from Chen's collection. The deep red luster of cinnabar and beautiful mixture of colors can be observed from the sculptures presented. (References and photos come from The Chen Ching Collection of Chicken Blood Stone Seals and Sculptures, published by the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the National Museum of History.)