When Mother gave each of us our jade, she told us about the symbiosis between true jade and human flesh. "Wear it on your chest. It breathes with you, and beats with your heart. You're healthy, it grows greener. You breath easier. It lightens your heart, and it becomes more beautiful and green. Jade for a peaceful heart. Jade, a sign of being Chinese. . . . My jade heart has returned to me; I have to pacify the world.

Maxine Hong Kingston, The Fifth Book of Peace