People in Tanghe Township of Jiangjin District in southwest China’s Chongqing are keen on digging out distinctive stones (a new jade type) with high selenium content, Chongqing Morning Post reported on Jan. 15.

The distinctive rock was authenticated as jade by China’s National Gemstone Testing Center and its selenium content was tested to be as high as 0.021 percent. A 1 kilogram piece found by a villager was sold at the high price of 4,000 yuan ($622).

The authority proposed to promote the jade in 2017, because reserves of precious jade types such as Hetian have been decreasing in recent years, Chen Lu, an employee at the local gem and jade industry association introduced.

Chen suggested that the new jade type first get an official name on the basis of national standards and local features to make it an industrial bright spot of the city.

Most importantly, the city should promote the artistic value of the jade. For example, the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing has set up a jade carving major, indicating the growing importance of the jade carving industry, said Chen.

Hu Lan, vice director at the local tourism administration, noted that the new jade type still needs to be explored and promoted, as its reserves, distribution range, and market value are still unknown.