Page 20 - Tạp chí bonsai BCI Q12011

6th Liuzhou International
Fantastic

Stone Festival

Photos and article by Tom Elias

n October 12 through the 17th, 2010, over
100,000 people were estimated to have attended
othis major international festival in southern Chi-
na. This event has been held every two years since 2000 in
Liuzhou, a city rich in beautiful, karst topography and ly-
ing just 120 km from the well-known tourist city of Guilin.
Liuzhou has become famous as the stone capital of China,
a title aptly deserved and recognized by the Chinese Na-
tional Collectors Association and the Chinese National
Shangshi Association. Stone appreciation exhibitions have

been organized for many years prior to 2000 . The Second
China Appreciation Exhibition was held November 19 to
30, 1994 but records of stone appreciation in this city date
back from the Tang Dynasty, nearly 1200 years ago.
It is not difficult to understand why Liuzhou plays a major
role in modern stone appreciation in China. This city lies
in the heart of Guangxi Province, a region with numerous
rivers, interesting geological history, strikingly beautiful
scenery, and a great diversity of different types of stones.
The rivers have yielded many types of stones now seen in
the markets, and some of those stones have become the
most sought after and expensive stones in China. These
include the beautiful Dahua Stones with their brown
and yellow hues and interesting patterns, the rare Moore
Stones, Laibin Stones, Three Rivers or Shangjiang Stones,
and many others. This coupled with another important
element—strong government support—allowed Liuzhou
to move into a prominent position in the stone apprecia-
tion world in China. Their biennial exhibition is the largest
and most influential one in China.
Stone appreciation has received strong, united support
from the Liuzhou government, ranging from the mayor
and vice-mayors to various agencies responsible for eco-
nomic development, employment and tourism. While the
city hosts this festival, the organizational task was given to
the Liuzhou Botanical Bureau of Parks and Woods, and
the Liuzhou Stone Appreciation Association. It may seem
strange to non-Chinese why the city is so strongly support-
ing the concept of “stone capital of China.” The reasons,
however, are soon apparent. The city government needs
key features to attract domestic and international tourists.

left: This huge figure stone standing over three meters high, tow-
ers over visitors in the new gallery.
18 | January/February/March 2011