http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2013-11/27/content_17134814.htm Making the world's best Go pieces Updated: 2013-11-27 11:16 (chinadaily.com.cn) Picture: Sitting in front of a clay oven in which the temperature is kept at 1,200 C, workers use a traditional tool to precisely drop melted materials onto an iron board. As a result, crystal-clear Go pieces, which look like black jade along with the color white, immediately appear. This is how the world-famous Yunzi, the special Go pieces, are produced. Go, a board game for two players that originated in China thousands of years ago, is also called "sitting in seclusion," or "hands talk." When people play the game, they only see the world that changes on the board and forget annoying real world issues, which is where the name "sitting in seclusion" comes from. The Chinese do not talk when playing Go and the only communication allowed takes place on the board itself, which is where the name "hands talk" comes from. These unique attributes serve as part of the game's charm. Yunzi is short for Yunnan Go pieces, and has a history of more than 500 years. The ancient process of making Yunzi was lost towards the end of the Ming Dynasty. In 1974, researchers found the formula from ancient Go pieces and the process remained a secret. Now, only Liu Wenfu, a 3rd generation Yunzi heir, has the formula. In 2009, Yunzi and the production process were listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Yunnan province. The white pieces are made in an ancient style with heavy and smooth lines, and the black pieces look like jade as their edges shine with sunlight almost like clear water in a pool. The best Go pieces are still made by hand utilizing more than 10 steps. Making Yunzi is a precious process that comes with number of details and specifications. [Photo/icpress] =================== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunzi Yunzi are pieces manufactured in the Chinese province of Yunnan. Technically Yunzi refers only to sintered stones made of "yunzi" material (the exact composition is a secret), the term can also used these days to refer to any Go pieces, whether bought on line from WalMart or from the highest end manufacturers who make them out of gemstones, with prices beginning at $400 USD per set.

single-convex of any material. Yunzi-style stones made of jade for instance, were often presented to the reigning emperor and his court ancient China. Yunzi are delicately made with a green luster yet are neither brittle nor slippery. The black and white pieces each have unique individual qualities. Old style white pieces are opaque with a tint of yellow or green. The black pieces are dark, and when held to the light have a translucent green hue.[1] Newer yunzi, however, have pure white stones.[2] The production of yunzi started in the Tang dynasty and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties; the total verifiable history of yunzi spans at least five hundred years. Among yunzi, most famous was the yongzi (??) manufactured by Yongchang Fu (???, today the city of Baoshan, Yunnan) during the Ming dynasty. It was said[by whom?] that after a fire broke out in an imperial treasury, one of the keepers, who was from Yongchang Fu, discovered that melted pearls and jade had a special luster. When he returned to his hometown, he fashioned yunzi out of the agate and amber for which Yongchang Fu was famous. These yunzi went on to be prized by the literati and were offered to the Emperor. Yunzi also appeared frequently in Chinese literature as the subject of a number of verses penned over the years, being mentioned in works such as Ming Yi Tong Zhi (Ming Dynasty Comprehensive Geographic Survey) and Travels of Xu Xiake, both of which favored the yongzi. Today in Baoshan there are still people who have antiques dating from the Ming dynasty; among those there remain one and a half original yongzi sets. The yunzi have also been presented to international dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II.[3] The traditional art of making yunzi was lost during the first few years of the 20th Century because of war in the region. In 1964, General Chen Yi examined the situation of yunzi while inspecting Yunnan. Zhou Enlai also inquired about the possible reproduction of yunzi. The Yunnan Sports Commission investigated the Yunzi manufacturing processes and rediscovered the art. In 1974, the state-run Yunnan Weiqi Factory began manufacturing yunzi stones.[4] They are used in professional weiqi tournaments in China and elsewhere. According to Chinese law, the yunzi stones can only be produced by the state run Yunzi company. The company creates the yunzi in an old factory that was used by the American Flying Tigers as barracks during World War II. The formula is thought to be ground Yunnan mountain stones and agate.[1] Caring for yunzi[edit] Like other types of Go stones, yunzi are washed and dried using a gentle soap solution to remove any dust from the packaging/manufacturing process. Although a light coat of oil, wiped clean, will help yunzi stones appear at their best, care must be taken in oiling yunzi. Because vegetable oils, such as olive or canola oil, are rancid oils, they should not be applied to yunzi to avoid unpleasant odor with time. Instead, common practice is to use an unscented mineral oil to oil yunzi; alternatively, stones may be washed but remain unoiled; over time, the natural oils incurred by human touch will polish yunzi to a sheen. Like glass Go stones, yunzi are very durable. However, like glass stones, yunzi are still at risk for chipping if they are dropped or otherwise come into sharp contact with hard surfaces such as metal, tile, or stone. ================== http://senseis.xmp.net/?Yunzi Keywords: Equipment Yunzi (?? Hanyu Pinyin: Yśnzi ) are Go/Weiqi stones from Yunnan and shortly called Yunzi. http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae259/dlyq2000/ddd-1.jpg Traditional Yunzi Go stones are half-flat (single-convex or "one-side-convex"). Modern Yunzi are available both half-flat and in lens shape (bi-convex, similar to Japanese go stones). Chinese players like this for analyzing variations by turning the stones in question upside down. (e.g. cf. with the picture on Weiqi Tiandi, where ?? Yang Lian seems to have turned around all stones) See XuYing ?? turning around the Yunzi too. Yunzi have a thickness of 7 to 9 mm and a diameter of 21mm to 22mm. Black stones are slightly larger to make up for an optical illusion. Both are non-glossy with a matte finish. When Yunzi are held against the light, they will appear dark green or soft white respectively, and show a beautiful translucency. http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae259/dlyq2000/ccc.jpg Modern Yunzi white stones are pure white, while traditional Yunzi white stones have a yellowish tint to them and are known as Old Yunzi, see the upper right picture. Yunzi playing stones are the official standard of the Chinese Weiqi Academy. They are used in major national and international tournaments. ==================== http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yun-zi.com%2Flxwm.asp Director: Luo Ling 0871-63178432 Director's Office: 0871-63178432 Contact: Zhou Wenjiao: 13888379035 Tel (fax): 0871-63179454 Sales phone: 0871-63164013 Address: Guandu district, Kunming city of H1, H2, building A2 Yun Zi qi yuan store address: Guandu district, Kunming city, building A2 (marble hall and satisfying restaurant) Zhen Qing Temple address: Baita Lu Zhen Qing Temple in Kunming city (just across from the Oasis Hotel) Account name: Yunnan Weiqi factory Bank: ICBC Wu Jing, Kunming branch Account number: 2502 0132 0902 2100 872 Website:http://www.Yun-Zi.com Tax number: 530103216576332 Email:Manager@Yun-Zi.com QQ:1600359568 About us Yunnan Weiqi factory, founded in 1974, Yunnan province, is the first successful cloud plate "clouds" go and obtained production license of export commodities and China Enterprise best image AAA-level State-owned manufacturer specializing in the production of confidentiality, is the game industry-standard main drafter ====================== http://chiyodad.blogspot.com/2005/12/go-set-from-yellow-mountain-imports.html Pictures & text about ordering Go stone set ===================== http://www.algorithmicartisan.com/gostones/goStones.html Go stones made of exotic gemstone materials. ====================== http://senseis.xmp.net/?MakingYourOwnEquipment Measurements, materials, etc.