by Julius Zheng（郑嵘）,GIA GG
The jade trading and manufacturing industry is one of the oldest in Hong Kong. However, it wasn’t formally organized until June 1965, when the US government imposed an embargo on Hong Kong jadeite jade (Fei Cui) goods, causing $20 million in annual revenue losses and numerous job cuts. In response, J.D. McGregor, then Deputy Director of Commerce and Industry, suggested industry leaders form the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Manufacturers Association (香港玉石制品厂商会) to negotiate with the US government, leading to the recovery of jadeite imports in 1967 with certificates of origin (“Hong Kong Jade Industry and some of its pioneers” by York Lo).
Lee San Chiek (李生泽), the patriarch from a prominent jadeite business family, was one of the founders of the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Manufacturers Association. He generously donated to help the association acquire its premises at the Hang Lung Building in Central in 1968. The association was renamed the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association (香港珠宝玉石厂商会, HKJJA) in 1997 and remains the leading organization in the jade industry today, with over 340 member companies at present.
Born in Tengchong, Yunnan province (云南腾冲), Lee San Chiek was immersed in the jade business from an early age, due to his father’s influence. His father, Lee Ben-ren (李本仁), was a prominent jadeite merchant with operations in both Yunnan and Burma (renamed as Myanmar after 1989). The story of his family is a true reflection of the development of the jadeite business in Hong Kong and Myanmar (Burma).
Lee Ben-ren, “King of Jade”
In 1915, Lee Ben-ren (李本仁), a native of Tengchong (腾冲), Yunnan province, unearthed a huge jadeite jade boulder with his partner from their mining site in northern Burma. The boulder weighed over 8 tonnes and was named “the Elephant Jade” (象玉) . This turned out to be one of the most precious jade boulders ever discovered and was sold in China for 100,000 Chinese silver dollars. At that time, each Chinese silver dollar weighs around 26.87 grams and contains 89% of silver, therefore the 8-tonne boulder is equivalent to 2.39-tonne of silver.
The boulder was cut into thirteen pieces, five of which were bought by Shanghai jade dealer John Chang Wen-ti (張文棣) who commissioned 150 craftsmen to carve the Green Jade Pagoda, a masterpiece with over 1,000 parts, which was featured in the China Pavilion of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933 and heralded as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”. It was then donated to the Oakland Museum of California but was sadly kept in the basement for many years (“Magnificent Chinese Jade Pagoda” by Mae Chang Koh). The Pagoda was gifted to Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Oak Brook, Illinois in 2018. The jade boulder earned Lee Ben-ren the title of “King of Jade” and he became a major supplier of Burmese jades to jewelers in major cities in China including Shanghai, Canton and Hong Kong.
Lee Ben-ren passed away in 1937 and over one thousand people paid tribute and took part in his funeral procession. He donated generously to the hometown in Tengchong of Yunan Province of China, and also the overseas Chinese in Burma, which included 15,000 silver dollars to support the schools in Tengchong and help to build new schools (“Tengchong People in Hong Kong and Macau” by Yunnan Nationalities Publishing House).
Lee San Chiek and Yon Kwan Wan, pioneers of the jade industry in Hong Kong
Lee San Chiek (李生泽), whose Burmese name was KO LAW YOE, is Lee Ben-ren’s (李本仁) 2nd son. Not only did he inherited his father’s business, but also elevated it to a new level with his international vision and experience in the jade mines. He and his wife Yon Kwan Wan (容贯云) managed jade mines in Burma and established a significant presence in Hong Kong’s jade market. Yon Kwan Wan, originally from Canton, played a crucial role in marketing and strategies.
The couple at one time controlled 80% of Burmese jade traded in Hong Kong, together with Lee Chang-taik (李昌德), another prominent jadeite merchant. After the jade mines in Burma were nationalized in 1962, Lee San Chiek moved their base to Hong Kong and Bangkok. The family continued to deal in Burmese jade under Yue Fung Company (裕丰公司)and other entities. Through their efforts, they maintained a strong influence in the global jade trade, marking significant milestones in the history of Hong Kong’s jade industry.
Lee San Chiek and his family played a pivotal role in shaping Hong Kong’s jade industry, ensuring its resilience and growth even in the face of political and economic challenges. Their story reflects the enduring importance of jade in Hong Kong’s cultural and commercial landscape.
In the early 1960s, the Lee family’s mine in Sanka in northern Burma discovered a boulder weighing 101 catties (approx. 61 kgs), named the “Royal Jade Boulder (权玉).” During the 1967 riots in Hong Kong, the Lee family shipped the boulder to Sydney for safety reasons and finally polished and bisected it in 1992, which produced many top-quality jadeite art jewellery.
In 1954, they acquired a 600 kg boulder for HK$360,000 and resold it for over HK$2 million. Another major deal in 1960 involved acquiring the remaining 10% interest of the Royal Jade Boulder from Li Xushan (李旭山, the eldest son of Lee Chang-taik 李昌德), in order to secure 100% interest of the boulder. During 1993 to 1995, the boulder was sold in Hong Kong to 2 listed companies, Fu Hui (福辉公司) and Chow Tai Fook (周大福珠宝公司) at a total price of HK$110 million.
Aside from jadeite jade, Lee San Chiek also dealt in a gem material called maw-sit-sit and invited the renowned gemologist Dr. Eduard Gubelin (1913-2005) to visit Mogok in 1963 to study the gem (Journal of Gemmology, 1965).
After Lee San Chiek pass away in 1974, his wife Yon Kwan Wan became the matriarch and continued to deal in Burmese jade and was presented with gifts by two deputy prime ministers and the Minister of Mines of Myanmar in 1993 for attending the country’s annual Gem Emporium (national-level tender for jadeite jade and other coloured gemstones) for 30 times. She passed away 39 years after her husband in 2013.
During the 1982 Emporium, General Ne Win, the ruler of Myanmar gifted to Yon Kwan Wan and Wendy Wai Han Lee (Dr. Richard S.K. Lee’s wife) with two pairs of uncut diamonds for their future earrings, during a private audience.
Dr. Richard S.K. Lee, the 3rd generation
The eldest son of Lee San Chiek and Yon Kwan Wan, Dr. Richard S.K. Lee (李承光) is both a medical professional and a gemologist with Graduate Gemologist diploma of GlA. He is the third generation of the prominent illustrious jadeite family. Dr. Richard S.K. Lee serves as Permanent Honorary President of Hong Kong & Kowloon Jade Merchants & Workers Union Association, Honorary Advisor (jade), Council of Management of Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association, Founder & Past President of GlA Alumni Association (Hong Kong Chapter) and Vice President of The Association of Hong Kong, Professionals. Being highly respected by the industry, he is a professional with in-depth knowledge in gemstones and jadeite jade.
His grandfather and his parents donated generously and contributed to the society, so has Dr. Richard S.K. Lee as a family tradition. At his age of 70’s, Dr. Lee thrives to pass on his family’s knowledge of three generations to the jewellery trade.
In the article of “The Art & Science of Reading Rough Jadeite Jade: 2 parts Science, 1 part Art, and a lot of luck” published on the Journal of the Gemmological Association of Hong Kong (2018), he used the Royal Jade Boulder owned by his family to describe and illustrate the process of assessing, cutting and evaluating jadeite jade rough to maximize its investment potential.
Profile of Dr. Richard S.K. Lee
The secret to the success of the older generation of Hong Kongers is to get back up after every fall. Only by repeatedly picking yourself up can you reach the distant place you aspire to go.- Dr. Richard S.K. Lee
Dr. Richard S.K. Lee（李承光）is a renowned dentist, seasoned jade expert, third-generation heir of a world-famous jadeite (fei-cui 翡翠) family, and the Advisor (Jade) to the 35th Council (2020–2022) of the Hong Kong Jewellery and Jade Manufacturers Association (HKJJA) （香港珠宝玉石厂商会）. He also serves as the Honorary President and Committee Consultant of Hong Kong Jade Association（香港玉器商会）, the Honorary Life President of the Hong Kong Kowloon Jade Merchants and Workers Association（香港九龙玉器工商联会）, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Professionals Association（香港专业人士协会）, and one of the founders and former President of the GIA Alumni Collectives Hong Kong Chapter（美国宝石研究院GIA香港校友会）. In 2024, he was invited to serve as the Editor of the Journal of The Gemmological Association of Hong Kong（香港宝石学会年刊）. He holds a dental practitioner qualification from Australia.
Note from the author: Special thanks to Dr. Richard S.K. Lee, a respectful jadeite expert and a friend, to make this article possible. His family story is personal, but a true inspiration to the jewellery industry.
This article was published as the cover article on Gem Spectrum print magazine issue #1 (September 2024), Page 29. Browse the flipbook here. Full-screen viewing and download are possible.
