Pagodite

Pagodite is the name of a stone used by Chinese artisans for carving pagodas and similar objects. Usually soft and sometimes soapy, it can be a greyish green or greyish yellow colour. The name is probably applied to any stone used for this purpose and not one specific variety. Names also used in this context are agalmatolite,^[1] steatite, pyrophyllite and pinite; sometimes also referred to (loosely) as soapstone.^[2]

References

1. Mohsen Manutchehr-Danai (9 March 2013). Dictionary of Gems and Gemology. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 351. ISBN 978-3-662-04288-5. Excerpts available at Google Books.
2. Nicholas Belfield Dennys (2012) [first published 1867]. The Treaty Ports of China and Japan: A Complete Guide to the Open Ports of Those Countries, Together with Peking, Yedo, Hongkong and Macao. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-108-04590-2. Excerpts available at Google Books.