Desert Curiosities Museum

Desert Curiosities Museum

The culture of stone appreciation in China has a history of several thousand years. Especially during the Tang and Song dynasties, from emperors and generals to literati and scholars, everyone loved stones. Confucius caressed stones, Qu Yuan wore them, Tao Yuanming lay on them, Du Fu offered them, Bai Juyi wrote poems about them, Mi Fu worshipped them, and so on; masters such as Cao Xueqin, Pu Songling, and Zheng Banqiao were all very fond of stones. The names of famous figures such as Qi Baishi, Fu Baoshi, Chiang Kai-shek, and Yao Shushi all contain the character for “stone,” indicating people’s love and adoration for ornamental stones.

The Desert Curiosities Museum was established in 2003, covering a construction area of over 500 square meters, and is located in Gujiang Village, Liucun Town, Changping District. The ornamental value of desert stones is truly extraordinary. Their texture is hard, fine, and dense, smooth and rounded, with a lustrous, jewel-like sheen. Touching them feels like stroking a baby’s skin — soft and smooth without being greasy, which is truly captivating. The stones in the museum feature vivid shapes, diverse forms, and countless variations. There is a wide variety of types, and some desert stones even contain multiple materials such as agate, crystal, red jasper, green jasper, desert varnish, bone-like stones, layered rock, and chalcedony, unmatched by other types of ornamental stones. A small portion of the stones in the collection are displayed on pedestals in the main hall for public appreciation, allowing more stone enthusiasts to witness the splendor and brilliance of desert stones.