Hello,
I just got this email from Yellow Mountain Imports and was wondering if anyone can verify they no longer make yunzi stones:

“Thank you for contacting us, we don’t carry Yunzi stones anymore since the manufacturer has stopped producing them.”

I thought yunzi stones were only produced by the Chinese government, could this be true?

This may turn out to be an interesting thread but the only way we're going to be able to arrive at a definitive answer is if someone calls the Yunnan Weiqi Factory and talks to the president one-to-one, muchacho a muchacho. .
The Yunnan Weiqi Factory was government sanctioned but I do not believe it was actually a government department.
More likely explanation of YMI's not getting back to you is that the Yunnan factory is no longer producing Yunzi stones for export or to sell to YMI.
Yunzi stones, as far as I know, remain the favorites among millions of Chinese weiqi fans and they seem to be readily available on Taobao and similar online retail sites.

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

You can still buy Yunzi stones. Look on places such as aliexpress or alibaba.

If you wish to tackle an order from aliexpress, here is a page that explains the four different styles of Yunzi stones, A<B<C<D.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000729691576.html

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

Depending on where you live, you may want to check out Mateusz Surma’s store … he has “Ceramic” Go stones there that allegedly are NOT Yunzi but I cannot see or feel a difference

PLUS they seem to be even less breakable than normal Yunzi.

Double convex: https://polgote.com/en/shop/solid-ceram ... ble-convex
Single convex: https://polgote.com/en/shop/solid-ceram ... gle-convex (best price IMO)

IF you should purchase there, please let us know how you like them. I for one love the single-convex ones I got from there.

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“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

I wonder where they are made? And if they are made with lead. It seems to have been a concern for many western players, whether or not it was a really concern of absorption. Also the double convex appear attractive but very large at 11mm in height about a size 39. That seems a little too large but I have never actually played with any that large. Thoughts? Otherwise the equipment looks interesting.

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Walla Walla GO Club -(on FB)

We play because we enjoy the beauty of the game, the snap and feel of real stones, and meeting interesting people. Hope to see ya there! お願いします!

Anthony

If you visit aliexpress or alibaba and search for Yunnan or yunzi, you'll see similar products. The product designation from Yunnan Go Factory for their very thick stones is "D-Style, old color".

I do not know of any counterfeit yunzi stones on the market. As an officially state-sponsored or licensed factory, I doubt Chinese authorities would tolerate fakes. (Let's not get into a discussion of intellectual property theft.) The lead thing was dealt with ages ago but one might be wary of yunzi manufactured before 2005.

There are several major game suppliers who are retail outlets for Yunnan Weiqi Factory's products including the yunzi stones. BSTFAMILY is one of them

https://bstfamly888.aliexpress.com/stor ... 101dFPBuIP

https://bstfamly888.aliexpress.com/stor ... 7412.1_1_1

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

Apparently Yellow Mountain's spokesperson didn't have a clue what they were talking about. However, if you want a set, I suggest you act soon. There is no way to knowhow long this restock will last. (Myself, I prefer glass stones if I can't play with shell but Yunzi are cool, truly.)

https://lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18006

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

Indeed, a number of goods can be ordered directly from Chinese stores, and the mail will deliver them. Of course, this is much longer, but there are some products that are worth waiting for.