Yunfu, also known as the Stone Capital, is a city where "even stones can sing". In the Yunshi Relics Park in Gaofeng Sub-district, Yuncheng District, there are two small rocky hills known as the "roots of Yunshi". They are the relics of Yunfu's stone mining and also the place where Yunfu first and on the largest scale mined Yunshi. The famous "401" and "402" Yunshi slabs back then were produced here.
From the perspective of topography, Yunfu presents a landscape pattern of "three mountains, three rivers and one river". The Yunkai Mountains lie across the west, the Tianlu Mountains run through the north and south in the east, and the Yunwu Mountains meander from east to west. The three major mountains and many small hills and hills make Yunfu a place of outstanding natural beauty. This unique geographical location has given birth to Yunfu's rich stone reserves: there are marble (also known as "Yunshi"), limestone, dolomite, granite, quartzite... with diverse categories and abundant reserves.
The splendid and long-standing historical and cultural heritage of the Stone Capital
Coming to Panlong Cave, the city parlor of Yunfu, one can feel the natural beauty of the Stone Capital. This secondary karst cave that gradually formed over more than 100 million years has the Paradise Cave leading to the sky on the upper level, the Longquan underground river on the lower level, and the Nine-Dragon Corridor in the middle. Clusters of stone flowers grow on the cave walls, glittering and translucent, as white as silver. Panlong Cave is therefore hailed by the World Cave Association as one of the "three major stone flower caves in the world".
Turning our attention to the Modaoshan Site in Hekou Town, Yu'nan County. From 600,000 to 800,000 years ago, ancient people left behind rare stone relics here. This discovery fills the gap in Guangdong's early Paleolithic culture and is a very important empirical evidence for studying the early Lingnan culture and its origin. The Modaoshan Site has won Yunfu a cultural business card of "the ancestral land of Lingnan" and added a profound historical footnote to "Yunfu's stones". In Pingtang Town, Luoding City, there is the "Longkan Dojo" cliff carving that was built in the fourth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty. It contains 15 characters promulgated by Empress Wu Zetian. The historical sites and wonders quietly tell of their elegance. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Yunfu's stoneworkers had already been mining Yunshi, which was either used for the architectural decoration of temples and ancestral halls and the carving of household items, or selected as natural stone slab paintings, or for inscriptions and so on.
The booming Yunfu stone industry
The exquisite Yunfu stone art adorns space and beautifies life. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the exquisite components of Yunfu stone art were selected for use in the architectural decoration of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the restoration of the Potala Palace in Tibet. Since the reform and opening up, Yunfu's stone industry and stone carving art have had new developments. It is not only one of the four major stone production bases in China but also has become a national demonstration base for stone circulation. Its representative large-scale carving piece "Eternal Love" was selected and inlaid in the Cairo International Conference Center in Egypt. Yuncheng District has also been named "the hometown of ethnic folk (stone carving) art in Guangdong Province" by the provincial Department of Culture.
Walking along National Highway 324 all the way, a "hundred-mile stone corridor" with more than 4,000 stone enterprises is Yunfu's most eye-catching sign to welcome guests. It is known that during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, Yunfu's Yunshi slabs and architectural decoration carving products had been exported to countries such as Singapore. In 1978, the spring breeze of reform and opening up blew across the land of the stone town and awakened the dream of the stone town people to "turn stones into gold", thus triggering the first major development of Yunfu's stone industry. It is known that in 1983, in Muyang Village in Yuncheng District, the village party secretary jointly established the first individual stone processing factory with the villagers and earned a net profit of 60,000 yuan in a year, causing a huge sensation. In just a few years, more than 50 stone enterprises were built in this village. The huge success of the initial trial prompted the Yunfu county Party committee and county government at that time to resolutely decide to seize the opportunity with advanced thinking, choose the stone industry as the breakthrough point to revitalize Yunfu's economy, and promote the "Muyang Village experience" throughout the county. By the mid-to-late 1980s, the number of stone enterprises in Yunfu had grown from more than 100 to more than 1,200, pushing the stone industry into the first round of development climax.
After years of development, Yunfu has become one of the largest stone production and processing bases in China. The annual import and export of stone and finished products reach more than 2 million tons. Yunfu stone has realized the trade blueprint of "buying from the world and selling to the world" and has also become a powerful engine driving Yunfu's economic development.
An immersive "journey to the Stone Capital
Yunfu stone art mostly uses Yunshi as raw material and traditionally focuses on stone carving and stone inscription. Stone carving is known for its round carving, relief carving, and intaglio carving techniques, while stone inscription is mainly manifested in the form of inscriptions showing poetry and calligraphy. Now Yunfu stone art has added stone mosaics and practical decorative crafts. Yunfu stone art can make use of materials according to their characteristics, take advantage of colors, shape according to the situation, and have ingenious conceptions. It can especially make full use of the natural forms, textures, colors, and veins of various stones, having a charm of "harmony between man and nature".
The beautiful stone imprints are engraved in every corner of Yunfu city. Entering the city, one can see rich stone art exhibitions everywhere: Pantian Lake shows the magic and beauty of nature among various stone landscapes. Jiuxingyan and Bijia Mountain form a unique "bonsai picture"; In Nanshan Forest Park, the ubiquitous stone art works show the temperament of the "Stone Capital"; The "pioneer" statue at the intersection in the city center silently tells the story of progress... Stone art culture is integrated into the lives of Yunfu people, embellishing the city's scenery. Through the refining effect of stone art culture, it brings people peace of mind, relaxation, and longevity.
In Yunfu Technician College, there is the only national-level skills master studio in Yunfu, Guangdong. Stepping into the room, a small "museum" of stone carving art suddenly appears in front of you. This small place is the creative place of Liang Jiankun, the inheritor of Yunfu stone art intangible cultural heritage. A grasshopper, an ear of corn, and a bowl of rice rolls will all bring him inspiration. Under Liang Jiankun's carving knife, all things in four seasons, birds and beasts, immortals and mortals, fragrant tea and delicious food can all become creative themes and turn into exquisite works of art.
In Hekou Sub-district, Yuncheng District, there is a Yunfu International Stone Expo Center with a total construction area of 200,000 square meters. Here is not only a one-stop stone exhibition and trade platform integrating functions such as display, trade, logistics, information, and business, but also a national 3A-level tourist attraction and "Guangdong Province Industrial Tourism Demonstration Unit".
Building A of the Stone Expo Center is a large-scale handicraft exhibition, sales, and tourism center. It gathers all kinds of creative, exquisitely carved, superb, and lifelike stone handicraft masterpieces. Exhibits such as golden pumpkins, jade safety buckles, jade vases, and tea trays. Domestic and foreign tourists can feel the charm of Yunfu stone here and understand Yunfu's stone culture. It is a must-visit place for purchasing stone handicraft masterpieces. Such as pure handmade small stone carving animal ornaments, pendants, pure handmade small stone carving animal office supplies, household items, hotel supplies, business gifts, etc., have become stone tourism souvenirs with Yunfu characteristics.
Make friends through stones and welcome guests. At present, Yunfu holds a stone technology exhibition and stone culture festival every year, realizing the transition from "buying from the world" to "selling to the world". It has the reputation of "the world's stone art looks to China, and China's stone art looks to Yunfu". At the upcoming 21st Yunfu International Stone Technology Exhibition and the 15th Yunfu Stone Culture Week, Yunfu stone art works will shine again and bring you an immersive exhibition experience.
