Ying Yu Jade
Ying Yu Jade Resources
Chinese Jade "Embryo"
During a visit to a Buddhist temple in China, I noticed a young woman wearing a jade pendant that looked like a "comma", holding in her hand while burning incense and offerings to Buddha. Her face was filled with emotion and her eyes moist. A Chinese companion explained that the jade pendant was called an "embryo" and was worn by women who wanted to get pregnant. There is great pressure from families for women to become pregnant with the one child they are allowed.
This shape is very sacred in Asia and goes back more than 3000 years. In Japan it's called magatama and is considered a visual representation of the human spirit. "Atama" means head, and "hara" refers to the stomach.
In China, the embryo dates to the Shang Dynasty, approximately 1600-1100 BC. It has been found in artifacts during that time.
When "foreigners" go to China to adopt a Chinese child, they are usually there for several weeks to learn about Chinese culture, then get their child, then spend a few days getting familiar as a new family before they return to their country. This is the Chinese adoption tourism standard procedure. The first stop is usually Beijing. The most famous Buddhist temple in Beijing, the Lama Temple, is often on the tour route, and these embryo pendants are sold there. These were blessed by Buddhist monks, and are worn not only by women hoping to conceive, but also by women hoping to adopt a child.
