Where are China’s four major stone sculpture towns?

1. Jiaxiang, Shandong Province - China's earliest stone lion sculptures are in Jiaxiang - "Stone Carvings of Wu Family Tombs". This is the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units announced by the State Council. Designated as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations. Loulan stone lion - bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new, majestic, powerful and domineering, suppressing evil spirits and driving away evil spirits, bringing wealth and prosperity.

It fully reflects the majesty, self-esteem and grandeur of the Chinese nation. It symbolizes a kind of wealth, auspiciousness and sacred and inviolable momentum. It is the first choice of every enterprise with entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit. After the hard work of countless skilled craftsmen in Jiaxiang, the stone lion craftsmanship reflects the outstanding talents of contemporary artists.

2. Hui'an, Fujian Province - Hui'an is located in the middle of the southeastern coast of Fujian, across the sea from Taiwan. It is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in Fujian and one of the main ancestral places of Han compatriots in Taiwan. It belongs to Quanzhou City. Hui'an covers an area of ??668 square kilometers and ranks among the top 100 counties in the country in terms of economy. It was awarded the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art (Sculpture)" by the Ministry of Culture and the "Capital of Chinese Stone Sculpture" by the China Arts and Crafts Association.

Hui'an carving art has a long history. The carving art originating from the Yellow River Basin integrates the Central Plains culture, the Fujian-Yue culture, and the maritime culture. It absorbs the essence of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, the charm of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to form fine carvings. The finely carved, delicate and agile southern artistic style complements the architectural art and has become a wonderful piece of China's excellent traditional culture.

3. Qingtian, Zhejiang Province - Qingtian stone carvings have a long history, which can be traced back to the Yin and Shang Dynasties. This has been verified by the Shang Dynasty cultural relic "Jade Feather Man" unearthed in Xingan County, Jiangxi Province in the winter of 1989. Qingtian stone sculptures have won gold and silver medals at international expositions for many times and gained a high reputation. After the founding of New China, they were selected by the party and the country as national gifts to foreign heads of state many times.

In 1992, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued four special stone sculpture stamps. In 1995 and 1996, Qingtian was named "Hometown of Chinese Stone Sculpture Art" and "Hometown of Chinese Stone Sculpture" respectively by relevant departments of the State Council.

4. Quyang, Hebei Province - On the 4-kilometer-long carving road in Quyang County, Hebei Province, there are millions of sculptures and sculptures on both sides, including squatting or lying stone lions, stone horses with flowing manes, and giraffes with a relaxed expression. Each of the animal-like stone carvings is lifelike, as if you have entered a "wildlife zoo"; strolling in the sculpture exhibition square, you will see nearly 100,000 stone carvings, jade carvings, landscape stones, stone and other carving products, and you will feel as if you are in the "Yulin Sea of ??Stones" "middle.

Extended information

Stone carving refers to using various stones that can be carved and carved to create visible and tangible artistic images with a certain space to reflect social life, Art that expresses the artist's aesthetic feelings, aesthetic emotions, and aesthetic ideals.

Commonly used stones include granite, marble, bluestone, sandstone, etc. Stone is hard and weather-resistant, and is the main material for large-scale monumental sculptures.

In 2008, it was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

It has a long history in China. During the long Old and New Stone Ages, stone tool processing was a means for the primitive ancestors of Lingnan to make a living. Many rock carvings have been found in Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai at the Pearl River Estuary. They are mainly complex abstract patterns and use chiseling techniques. The rock carvings on Gaolan Island in Nanshui Town, Zhuhai are especially huge. The largest one is 3 meters high. , 5 meters long, with plain inscriptions and clear lines. Figures and ship carvings can also be identified from the complex lines.

According to research, the rock carvings here are about 1000 BC and are works from the Bronze Age. Multiple octagonal prismatic stone railings with square bases were discovered at the Nanyue Palace Administration site, which is the earliest known stone railing component in the history of Chinese architecture. The ruins of the Imperial Garden of the Nanyue Kingdom include stone pools paved with ice cracks on stone slabs, winding stone channels, stone chambers built with huge stone slabs, and a variety of stone components, which are the first to be seen in Qin and Han Dynasty sites in China.

The tomb of Zhao Mei, King of Nanyue, is the largest stone chamber tomb known to date in Lingnan. The huge stone in the tomb weighs 2.6 tons. 244 pieces (sets) of jade articles were unearthed from the tomb, including 71 jade wall pieces, two sapphire round sculptures of dancing girls, a blue and white jade horn cup with relief cirrus pattern, silk-cut jade clothes, and jade belt hooks with dragon and tiger bodies. , the jade pendant with a heavy ring with dragon and phoenix patterns, and the animal head on the wall are all exquisite treasures, reflecting the superb craftsmanship of jade processing at that time. It can be seen that the South Vietnamese country has mastered cutting, shaping, drilling, carving, polishing, modification, etc. techniques and inlay techniques.

In the tomb of the King of Nanyue, talc ovens, ear cups, pigs, pillows, stone inkstones and grinding stones were also found. Sharpening stones and finely ground stone axes, etc. It shows that stone carving is also a craft that is valued.

The history of stone sculpture begins with the origin of human art. It can be said that among the all-encompassing art forms of mankind so far, none is older than stone carving, and no art form can be more popular with people and last forever because of its skillful craftsmanship.

The history of stone carving can be traced back to the Middle Paleolithic Age, one to two hundred thousand years ago. Since then, stone carvings have been passed down to this day. In this long history, the creation of stone carving art has also been constantly updated and improved. In different periods, stone sculptures have undergone great changes in types and styles; different needs, different aesthetic pursuits, different social environments and social systems have all restricted the development and evolution of stone sculpture creation. The history of stone carving is the history of art, a history rich in cultural connotations, and a vivid and realistic human history.

Reference: Stone Sculpture-Baidu Encyclopedia