Viewing stone culture is deeply rooted in China and has evolved over millennia. It has prospered and expanded in the last four decades. Once stone appreciation was in the realm of the scholars and bureaucrats who often composed poetry and prose about the attributes of their stones or praised their virtues in calligraphy and paintings. Later, merchants embraces this art form and brought it to a wider audience. Today in modern China, millions of people throughout the county are engaged in the collection and appreciation of beautiful and interesting stones and various pieces of jewelry and sculptures made from stone.

This work is the first in the English language about the viewing stone arts of Yunnan province. This famous and historically important region in southwestern China has a great diversity of stone types. Some like the Dali marble date back hundreds of years, while others are more recent introductions. Regardless, the viewing stone arts of Yunnan are growing in acceptance in China and worldwide. This volume is to help acquaint people with the viewing and art stones of Yunnan.

148 Pages | Publisher: Viewing Stone Association of North America | Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.75 in. | Hardcover | By Thomas S. Elias, Lianju Li, and Christopher Y. Fan | 2018