Marble handicrafts

Marble handicrafts

　　Yunnan Province is rich in marble deposits. The nineteen peaks of the Cangshan Mountain in Dali all contain marble, boasting a wide variety of types, beautiful patterns, and excellent quality, making them quite renowned. Due to the abundant production of this high-quality stone in the region and its long history of distribution across various places, it came to be named after the locality of Dali and elegantly referred to as "Dali marble." Marble is also known as foundation stone, elm stone, literary stone, Xingsha stone, and Kaiyu stone, and is generally divided into four main categories: flower-picking stone, cloud-grey stone, Xiang stone, and black stone. Marble mining and crafting began as early as the Tang Dynasty. The magnificent Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple built during the Tang Dynasty in Dali already featured exquisite marble handicrafts such as flower-picking stone screens, carved painted screens, stone tables and stools, wine cups, table lamps, pen holders, inkstones, tea trays and fruit plates, flower pots and vases, as well as landscapes, flowers, birds, figures, and animals. The 2-meter-diameter flower-picking stone screen displayed in the Yunnan Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing naturally showcases a majestic scene of the Cangshan mountain range and sea of clouds, along with the powerful image of rivers rushing down, leaving viewers in awe. The carved screen "Grand View of Cangshan and Erhai" exhibited at the marble factory, meticulously crafted from naturally colored marble, vividly depicts the silver Cangshan and jade-like Erhai Lake, as well as the famed "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon" scenery—a truly rare and priceless treasure.