Description
This beautifully made documentary follows the path of the ancient jade road from the legal & illegal mines in northern Burma to an ordinary jade dealer’s shop in Hong Hong, giving unprecedented access to the smuggling routes and stone-age mines of Burma. Perhaps more than any other business, the jade trade has always been cloaked in mystery, similar to the opaque-brown skin that hides a jadeite’s rich green interior. We are given a glimpse of this fascinating business, where entire fortunes are gambled on a single boulder and where human lives are sometimes at stake. When the boulders are cut open in Hong Kong, the moment of truth finally arrives. If the quality is good, the men are instant millionaires. If the quality is poor, not only their dreams, but also their lives are shattered.