- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: W&N; First Edition edition (14 Jun 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297645749
- ISBN-13: 978-0297645740
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 16.4 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
605,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Myanmar (Burma)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Stone of Heaven: the Secret History of Imperial Green Jade by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark is one of those remarkable travel-cum-history books that manages to combine both glamour and mystery with the exposure of moral squalor and appalling political corruption. These are the things that gold, silver, diamonds have generated throughout history--and so too, it seems, has imperial green jade. The facts about the "stone of heaven" sound more like the wildest fictions of swashbuckling storytellers like Rider Haggard, or perhaps even Wilbur Smith. It is by far the most valuable stone in the world (diamonds are positively cheap compared to this stuff), and in its purest form, it derives from only one source: a remote mine in a valley in the very shadow of the Himalayas. The authors take us competently through the history of green jade, brought to life most entertainingly of all in the 18th-century skirmishes between the British and the Chinese--in terms of wiliness and cunning, a fine match for each other. They give us some great "well, would you believe it?" facts (one Chinese Emperor wrote more than 800 poems to his beloved jade collection). But the book really ignites towards the end, and becomes something very different, when Levy and Scott-Clark finally reach the world's only jade mine, now in Burma. Here there are facts to be learned that truly beggar belief. The mines are worked by around one million men, women and children. They are paid in government-supplied heroin. Needles are shared between around 800 people at a time. 99.9 per cent of the workers are HIV positive. The mine is declared an international disaster zone by the United Nations. And green jade is still avidly collected by Princess Michael of Kent, Danielle Steele, Nicole Kidman, and used by jewellers such as Chanel, Van Cleef and Arpels. This might have been a better, more focused book if the authors had cut the history and stuck to the horrific modern-day revelations. As it stands, its hefty 400 pages are too much, and too mixed in tone. But, its weight problem aside, this is still a wholly engrossing, if ultimately horrifying read.--Christopher Hart
Book Description
The incredible hidden history of the world's rarest and most valuable gem stone.
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First Sentence
Inside fusty chronicles penned in a forgotten, languid script that few can now understand, storytellers recorded how it all began. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Inside fusty chronicles penned in a forgotten, languid script that few can now understand, storytellers recorded how it all began. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book charts man's obsession with the stone through history from the ancient dynasties of China through to the terrible present-day hell holes which are the jade mines in northern Burma.
The book mentions the importance of jade in funding much of the early political movements in China after the last emperor was removed and details the looting of the Forbidden City in Beijing
following up where all the treasures ended up.
The central story is about jade and what people will do just to acquire it documenting the lives of the rich and famous of the times and the dramatic historical events which characterised much of China's 20th century history. In later stages of the book we are shown the shocking accounts of the authors as they travelled to the present-day mines in Northern Burma where exploitation, Heroin addiction and AIDS are rampant.
The book mentions the importance of jade in funding much of the early political movements in China after the last emperor was removed and details the looting of the Forbidden City in Beijing
following up where all the treasures ended up.
The central story is about jade and what people will do just to acquire it documenting the lives of the rich and famous of the times and the dramatic historical events which characterised much of China's 20th century history. In later stages of the book we are shown the shocking accounts of the authors as they travelled to the present-day mines in Northern Burma where exploitation, Heroin addiction and AIDS are rampant.
The book was initially hard-going for me in the first third of the book but perseverence is rewarded in the other two-thirds as the historical events, people and personal stories are fascinating and well-written.
The book also includes period black and white photos which are great illustrations. I bought this book in London half-way through my service with VSO in China so the book gave me a lot of background information on China and in particular the importance of jade in the country.
Particularly interesting is where all the treasures from the last emperors ended up throughout the world including most of the worlds premier museums.
Its a great book for understanding the power that jade has had in China and the world among the rich and influential people of the times.
The authors should also be commended for raising awareness about the horror of the present-day northern Burmese jade mines.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I can't say I ever wanted to read this book but I picked it up at the airport and couldn't put it down. It has stayed with me and I found the climax particularly unforgettable. This is what journalism used to be and here are two writers practising what I thought was a dead art. Even if you know nothing about Burma, or China or India or the British Empire - read this and learn - oh and enjoy.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a fascinating investigation into imperial green jade. Forget fictional accounts of hidden treasures and lost mines -- the authors of this non-fiction classic hear rumours of incredible suffering in northern Burma and bravely struggle to the site to expose a medieval hell. Along the way they weave the history of the stone into the narrative -- and what a history!! Loved and fought over for centuries, jade assumes a personality all of its own as the pages turn. I can't rate this book highly enough.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Truly a dreadful book
Like another Burma attempt (Rory McLeans's Under the Dragon), this is a poorly written, contrived, hotchpotch of rumours, scandal, hearsay & secondhand reports. Read more
Published on 17 July 2001 by theindawgyi@aol.com
A startling mix of history and investigative journalism
If you were gripped by Perfect Storm and intrigued by Longitude then you will love The Stone of Heaven. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2001
A well-plotted history that is also a page-turning thriller
The author's preface their book with the comment that they never intended to write a book about a stone. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2001
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