The history of Chinese Stone Carving can be traced to 1,200,000 years ago (Neolithic Age). It is the most traditional art forms in the human history, and also one brilliant page in Chinese cultural and civilization history. Chinese Stone carving has been prosperous from generation to generation. It was considered as a group of carving and sculpture. It means using different kinds of hard materials that can be carved to create various artistic images or shape. The stone carving can reflect the social life and express the the Artists' aesthetic sense or an ideal art.
Materials and Process Procedures
The materials of the sculpture should be solid and can resist corrosion or weathering. Many of it are stone, wood, jade, plaster, resin, clay… The Chinese stone carving consists of various kinds. The followings are the general processing procedures: choosing the materials first, then model making, blanks forming, product shaping, polishing, cleaning, product assembling, inspection and packing. With the development of the society, the stone carving can be processed by machines. However, the traditional processing tool is by hand.
Styles
Engraved with different delicate pictures or images, Chinese Stone Carving was classified to many types, such as blue stone carving, marble stone carving, jade carving, steatite carving, smoky quartz sculpture, Colored stone carving, Pebbles carving... The blue stone carving in Huian, Fujian is famous for its building decoration and stone lions. The stone lions have a good reputation in Southeast Asia. The marble stone carving in Yunnan is very wonderful. The different patterns on it are vivid and lifelike. The jade carving in Quyang,Hebei was used to palace decoration in Ming and Qing Dynasties. And now it is used to decorate the public or the memorial buildings, such as the Great Hall of the People, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. In Liaoning and Shandong province, Steatite carving features the lovely animal stone carving. The skills of the stone carving are intaglio, sculptural relief...

Masterpieces of Chinese Stone Carvings
Chinese Stone carving are widely used in people's life. Many people are fond of jade. The jade is a typical craft of stone carving. The traditional jade has a collections value and a fabulous economic value. It is very popular in China. One of the most important and artistic things of it is the pictures, images or letters on the stone carving. The shape of the stone carving are various, stone carving buildings, bridge, grottos, tombs, palace, temples, Buddha, statues, towers, tables… The famous masterpieces of Chinese Stone Carving are Dunhuang Mogao Grottos in Gansu, Yungang Buddhist Caves in Shanxi,Longmen Grotto in Henan, The Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi, Summer Palace and the Forbidden City in Beijing, Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan… all of which are the famous tourist attractions in China. China Stone Carving Art Festival is celebrated every year. It indicates the rapid development of Chinese Stone carving, even the culture and art.