Echoes of jade: New Zealand's Hei Tiki cheers for China's jade dancer

Clad in a flowing long dress with even longer sleeves – one arched gracefully overhead, the other sweeping softly to the side – the jade dancer from China's Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-8 AD) seems to come alive again, captivating onlookers from New Zealand, a group of visiting Hei Tiki.

Traditionally carved from pounamu, or New Zealand greenstone, Hei Tiki pendants are an emblematic figure within the Maori culture. These cherished Māori heirlooms take human form and are lovingly passed down from generation to generation.

China, too, shares a deep and enduring bond with jade. For thousands of years, this luminous gemstone has embodied political, spiritual, and cultural significance –adorning the living, accompanying the departed, and even helping to shape rituals believed to define the harmony between heaven and earth in the old days.

What kind of resonance might emerge when the jade spirits of China and New Zealand meet across the vast Pacific? Watch this AI-generated video to find out!