Khan's Empire, a secreted gem still waiting to be seen

December 21, 2006
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

Yunling, owner and manager of Khan’s Empire, 2107 Veterans Blvd, Suite 4, is hard pressed to name a store within 200 miles that is her match in the quality of Oriental merchandise.

Such a claim is an invitation to rebuttal, but Yunling is up to the challenge when she gets a chance to educate shoppers who show a sincere interest in her amazing inventory and a genuine interest in learning about it. Her background, experience and travels have served Yunling well.

“I wanted to bring the Asian culture, beauty and brilliance to America, so I try to bring the art of several countries into one place, my store,” said Yunling. And in a small shop best accessed to a strip of storefronts from Miers Street, off the Veterans Boulevard frontage road, Yunling and her husband Steve have accumulated art, craft, and jewels of the Pacific Ocean from South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Burma, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka.

Yunling spent the first 20 years of her life in Pusan, South Korea, was educated in Germany (and is fluent in that language), and came to the United States. Steve retired from Laughlin Air Force Base, and Yunling set up shop in Plaza Del Sol Mall. But she had dreams of a shop in which she could expand, and focus attention on very high quality Oriental gems.

In a thousand square feet of showroom, Khan’s Empire displays a range of Oriental imports ranging from Chinese lanterns to clothing and shoes, from collections of pearl and jade necklaces to large, hand-painted fans. Delicate, framed, sculptured scenes in hand-carved cork are displayed with shelves of fine Chinese porcelain plates, vessels and figurines.

A collection of Yi Xing teapots from China occupy an entire two-tier exhibit case. The fired clay vessels – in shades of tan and brown – are all at least 20 years old, because Yunling says that techniques of their manufacture are swiftly being overrun by cheaper, faster, less satisfying technologies. The old pots contain oxidants that supplement the oxidants normally found in tea, yielding “a tremendously different flavor” to the beverage after routine use. So, of course, Yunling also offers a wide selection of Oriental teas, too.

But, the jade and the pearls are clearly Yunling’s passions, and her knowledge of their origins, traditions, gradings, colors, and values is encyclopedic. Patient, attentive shoppers showing a flicker of curiosity about the subjects will be riveted to the theme, once Yunling begins to unfold the secrets and arcana of this exotic trade.

The gem display cases of Khan’s Empire are filled with an unexpected variety of pearls and jade, in prices ranging from modest to moderately expensive. Yunling conducts private showings only for the highest quality pieces and the most interested customers.

To “grow” an acceptable pearl requires 12 to 17 years, and the best ones are sold by the carat (weight), not size, Yunling explained. South Sea pearls are her particular interest, and golden pearls – so named for their lustrous color that matches 24 karat gold – are Yunling’s pride and joy.

The South Sea golden pearl grows in only one place in the world. “I can’t tell you where,” Yunling smiled. Nor would she permit photography of a necklace of these stunning beads, priced in the six-figure range. A single South Sea golden pearl she displayed for LIVE! is valued at $1,500. “These are more rare than diamonds,” she explained.

To achieve the quality of pearl she shows to her best customers, the seabed must be not only secure, but clean. “A pearl’s number one enemy is pollution,” Yunling asserted, “and then the quality is determined strictly by the temperature of the water.”

Yunling also knows – and will share her extensive knowledge about – jade. She displays strings of many colors, some bright, others intricately carved, and a soapstone jade pendant, also beautifully carved. “But this is my optimum quality jade,” Yunling said, reverently handing over a string of medium beads for my admiration in hues of colors, ranging from lavender, to white, and shades of palest green. Carefully selecting the beads from her Oriental sources, Yunling personally arranges, strings and knots the necklaces.

Aside from her professional aspirations as a merchant of superior quality Oriental jewelry, clothing and art, Yunling is quick to share her concerns about youth education, not only here in Del Rio but throughout the United States.

 Witnessing idle youth and hearing dropout rates, Yunling deplores the relative scarcity of college-educated youth in Del Rio. “In Thailand, even the hotel bellhop is college educated.

“In Korea, when I grew up, I would always take two lunch boxes to school, one for breakfast because I would go very early, and another for later, because I would not go home before 10:30 at night.

Yunling hopes to see tougher standards, higher educational performance and a better educated citizenry in her adopted America where she is now a proud citizen.