Chrysanthemum stone carvings are a remarkable craftwork of Liuyang County. They are carved of chrysanthemum stone, which was formed 200 million years ago. Up to now, only Liuyang County is known to produce this natural stone; therefore, Liuyang chrysanthemum stone carvings are undoubtedly honored as the best in the world.

The stone, like the chrysanthemum, falls into different core categories: single core, double core, three cores, and coreless chrysanthemum stones. Moreover, the stone creates various flower moldings, such as bamboo chrysanthemum, hydrangea nightshade chrysanthemum, and so on.

Craftsmen carefully carve the stone to make full use of the grain characteristics to sort out the petals and add some leaves to form dozens of chrysanthemums. In recent years, craftsmen have broken free of the convention of graphicacy and have created a new technology for sculpturing tri-dimensional flowers and for adding figures to the carvings. This can be seen in craftwork originating from fairy tales, such as "Huang Chao Chants Chrysanthemum" and "Celestial Beauty Scattering Flowers." Liuyang chrysanthemum stone carvings have won prizes in the Panama World's Fair for their reflection of exquisite skills and ingenious conception.

Source: arts.cultural-china.com