Thursday 21 December 2023

A Stone Captured History and Society: Shoushan Stone | Chapter 22 | Traditions and Cultural Heritage: Genesis, Reproduction, and Preservation

Shoushan Stone is a precious stone which only mined in Shoushan village in Fuzhou City Fujian Province. It was the first-tier Intangible Cultural Heritage in China and also known as “the top grade-coloured stone for carving”. With the anthropology aspect, it is a topic over traditional Chinese culture, material culture and art anthropology. Shoushan stone carving can be traced back as far as the Southern Dynasties and have a continuous development in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Emperors of these dynasties always own the most precious kind which enjoy the reputation of “the king of stone: Tianhuang stone, and using Tianhuang as the only material of their royal seal. Carving made by Shoushan stone is a traditional chinese art which need a superb craftmanship from the subjects range to human figures, animals and landscapes, to flowers and birds. Top craftsmen are able to create wonderful images by using the natural contours and fine streaks of colours in the stone and carving also following the silk road travelling over the world. So, people who participated in the life process of Shoushan stone carving would be a precious anthropological materials.

Author(s) Details:

Ma Yeung Ho,
Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, Xiamen University, China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/TCHGRP/article/view/9543

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