Jade City

Jade is the most dominant symbol of Jade City. Most of the characters wield jade; the powers it gives them define their personalities, status, and ability to lead.

Kekonese culture revolves around jade’s religious significance. In fact, the term for jade warriors—Green Bones—comes from a Deitist origin story about jade:

In the old Abukei myths […] the First Mother goddess, Nimuma, fell into the ocean and perished from exertion after creating the world. Her body became the island of Kekon, and the veins of jade that ran under these mountains were her bones. Her green bones (136).

This mysticism is reflected not only in legendary lore, but also in the religious practice of the novel’s present, particularly through the penitents. These figures wear jade, but refuse to use its magic; moreover, committing violence in their presence is taboo and incurs divine excommunication.

Jade also represents political power and status. Wearing it implies high birth—since only those trained at special schools can wield its magical powers. The quantity of jade an individual wears is a public declaration of importance. When Anden meets Ayt Mada, the Pillar of Mountain, he notes that her jade reflects her position and her clan’s nationwide reach:

[S]he appeared ordinary, except for the spectacular amount of jade running up both her arms. Mounted in coiling silver bracelets that twined up her forearms and biceps like snakes, there must have been at least a dozen stones on each arm. So much jade, worn so unpretentiously—Green Bones had no need for any other symbol of status (93).

Ayt Mada is the most powerful woman in Kekon, and her presentation of jade shows it.

Finally, jade symbolizes combat prowess and skill. Part of the reason Lan forces himself to put on Gam’s jade after besting him in a duel is to signal his physical strength during a time of No Peak’s waning influence. A Green Bone is only as good as the amount of jade they can tolerate wearing. Lan is very aware of this, so he risks jade overload and SN1 addiction and overdose to convince the city that he is just as much of a leader as Ayt Mada.