Henrik Möller states that his research project “examines intersections of material, economic and cultural aspects of carving, trade, and consumption of the gemstone jadeite, the highest valued form of jade, in China.” Furthermore, Henrik Möller has studied “how jadeite is materially transformed from raw stone to carved jewellery, and how it is traded and valued economically in its journey through different locations.” He also studied “cultural imaginations underpinning the demand for jadeite in contemporary China.”
To collect data Henrik Möller conducted interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in China, Thailand, and Myanmar. The majority of the time, about ten months, he spent in the border town of Ruili, situated in the Dehong Prefecture of China’s Yunnan province, neighbouring Myanmar’s Shan state.
Discussant at the dissertation was Professor Nils Ole Bubandt of Aarhus University.
