Luodian Exotic Stones

Luodian Exotic Stones

　　In October 1998, thrilling news came from the capital, Beijing: at the 3rd National Celebrity Exotic Stones Culture and Art Festival held in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven Park, a stone named “Man and Beast,” submitted by the Luodian County Exotic Stones Association, won the gold award. In 1999, at the Kunming World Horticultural Exposition, a Luodian exotic stone named “Mother and Child” won the silver award. In 2001, at the first Shandong Zibo Exotic Stones Expo, a Luodian exotic stone named “0” won the gold award. In 2002, at the first Guizhou Exotic Stones Expo, “Mother and Child” won another award... With frequent accolades, Luodian exotic stones have gained increasing recognition, not only causing a sensation domestically but also attracting international attention.

　　Luodian exotic stones are mainly distributed along the Hongshui River and Mengjiang River areas. These river basins feature significant water level drops, rapid currents, and narrow valleys. The surging waters carry various rocks from tributaries along the upstream canyons, twisting and turning through hundreds of kilometers. Over hundreds of thousands of years, the torrents have polished these rocks into naturally shaped, vividly formed, and smoothly lined exotic stones, creating a marvel of natural artistry.

　　Analyzing from the four key elements of stone appreciation—form, color, texture, and pattern—Luodian exotic stones possess the following characteristics:

　　(1) Stone Shape and Structure: The forms of Luodian exotic stones excel in clever variations. Stones from Bakan, Lirong, and Wangru areas near Longping Town are full and rounded, with simple and composed postures, smooth and soft lines, plump and solid forms, as well as abstract and exaggerated features. Many of Li Zehua’s Bakan stones, a renowned Luodian collector, are not known for their uncanny likeness but for their simplicity and subtlety. For instance, his award-winning piece “Mother and Child,” which has received multiple awards, is divided into two parts: the upper part is slightly longer and bends downward, while the smaller lower part resembles a child suckling. The form is extremely concise, the surface is smooth yet unremarkable at first glance, yet the overall form is complete with a lingering charm. Other award-winning works from the Bakan area such as “Golden Waves,” “Voyage,” and “Monument” are all celebrated for their simple and vivid shapes.

　　The Hongshui River has a large flow, many rapids, abundant sand content, and tough rocks on both banks, making it rich in exotic stones. Honghe stones are simple, unadorned, and rustic, sharing origins with Xingpan River stones. Most Honghe stones are egg-shaped, heavy, round, and solid. Take the gray-brown egg-shaped stone named “Listening to the Spring”: its outer contour is formed by nearly four straight lines, with a groove on the left middle section dividing the stone into three peaks, and a white quartz line extending from the middle to the bottom. There are no other complexities. A stone merchant spotted its value, bought it for several dozen yuan, and it has since become a famous stone worth over fifty thousand RMB. Another egg-shaped stone, with minimal undulation, resembles a well-rounded, full posterior, hence named “Emerging from the Bath.” This abstract piece hints at the concrete, and its refined taste speaks for itself.

　　Stones from areas like Bianwai, Liuting, Bamao, and Fengting are famed for their “oddity.” Their shapes are rugged, slender, and irregularly varied. Though not thick, they excel in transformation; though mixed in texture, they offer unique charm. These stones feature many folds, cavities, and branches, characterized by their peculiarity and quaint appeal.

　　The geographical stones from Luotuo Township are truly unparalleled in shape, enough to make even master craftsmen envious. Their forms are intricately hollowed, continuous, and interconnected, resembling grottoes and cave temples that allow wind and moonlight to pass through—combining translucency with robust fullness.

　　(2) Color: Black is the most renowned hue. “Fine-Skin Black” ink stones are mostly found in areas like Bakan, Guangli, Lirong, and Wangru, and occasionally along the Hongshui and Bianwai rivers. These stones are deep black like lacquer, with no trace of any other color. Upon prolonged admiration, one may sense vitality and mystery emanating from this lustrous black—something no artificial black can match. These ink stones are also called “Black Pearls,” produced only in certain towns of Luodian and the Hongshui River area. The color stones among Honghe stones and the Luotuo mottled jade often exhibit an aged, profound, and solemn tone, exuding a sense of historical depth, cherished by many stone enthusiasts, especially those with artistic inclinations.

　　Skillfully colored stones—those with two contrasting colors where the minor hue is artfully placed on a specific part of the stone—become extraordinary and highly valuable. For example, one gray-brown stone shaped like a fish is an ordinary representational stone, not rare, but its eye is raised and black. The grey body and black eye elevated its price significantly. Another skill-colored stone named “Gracefully Standing” has a grey-green body with a black head. Though a small piece, it was sold for a five-figure RMB sum at the Guizhou Exotic Stones Expo.

　　(3) Texture: The hardness of Luodian exotic stones varies due to differing chemical compositions. Dominated by limestone, Luodian stones contain small amounts of siliceous limestone, making them superior to regular limestone. They are mainly found in Guangli, Bakan, Lirong, Wangru, and Banpan. Their texture is fine, compact, firm yet slightly soft, hard without being brittle, with a hardness of around 7 on the Mohs scale. When broken, the interior reveals a fine grain resembling a baby’s skin, glossy and reflective, making them highly sought after.

　　Honghe stones come in various types. Some are rich in silica, dense in texture, with a skin like colored glaze, similar to Guangxi’s painted pottery stones. Others are soft within a tough matrix, resistant to erosion, with firm yet smooth surfaces. For example, a silicon ink stone collected by Li Zehua, shaped like a flying vehicle, has a fine texture and a glass-smooth surface that feels excellent to the touch. Some suspected it was artificially polished, but careful examination confirmed it was entirely natural, leaving observers in awe.

　　Agate stones produced near Dingfang and Liuting in the Bianwai River area are rich in silica and quartz, with a strong jade-like feel, firm yet slightly brittle. Their skin can resemble jade, colored glaze, or hardened wax, and their surfaces often feature pockmarks and wrinkled textures, adding to their exceptional quality.

　　High-quality mountain stones also yield fine specimens. Mountain stones are divided into buried stones and surface stones. Surface stones are often weathered and less superior in texture than buried stones. Buried stones are further divided into those buried in ancient riverbeds and washed by water, and those buried in soil during rock formation. The buried stones of Luotuo are fine, firm, and smooth, resembling water-worn stones. Areas like Dongwang, Muyin, Bamao, and Gansong produce excellent stone varieties with superior textures. The mottled jade of Luotuo has an extremely high degree of silicification, making its hardness the highest among Luodian exotic stones. This type of stone is rich, luxurious, and full of treasure-like aura, considered the “aristocrat” among exotic stones.

　　(4) Texture Patterns: A rare type of textured stone is produced between Bamao and Fengting in Luodian. One such stone features a full body with finger-thick lines protruding, grouped into several sets converging from the four directions—up, down, left, and right—toward two central points on the stone, where circular lines rest at the heart. The layout of the lines is chaotic yet orderly, with a uniquely conceptual design and a strong Zen flavor. Bakan produces a type of colorful striped stone, mostly in warm tones, composed of varying shades of stripes, as well as cool-warm color combinations forming textured patterns. The stripes are diverse and quite appealing. The Hongshui River, Bianwai River, and Luotuo all produce textured stones, some formed by color variations, others by etching, each with distinct styles.

　　Regarding exotic stone appreciation, there’s an ancient saying: “Thin, wrinkled, leaky, and translucent.” “Thin” reflects the masculine beauty of exotic stones—exposed bones and sinews without being bloated, hard and slender, with a solid yet graceful frame, clear contours, and sharp angles. “Wrinkled” refers to uneven surfaces covered with dense, twisted, and rugged patterns. “Leaky” means the stone contains holes that allow sightlines and the passage of water or smoke. “Translucent” indicates the stone is ethereal and crystal-clear, charmingly delicate, marked by varying-sized perforations that reveal boundless backgrounds, sparking the imagination. These four characters embody the concepts of traditional Chinese aesthetics.