A stone carving festival opens in Qingtian county. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The 8th Qingtian Stone Carving Cultural Festival opened on Dec 6 in Qingtian county administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province, local media reported.

More than 300 people participated in the opening of the festival, which is displaying some outstanding examples of the craft. They included experts from the Palace Museum in Bejing, the Xiling Seal Engraver's Society and representatives of the arts and crafts, among others.

"Qingtian and the Palace Museum have an unbreakable bond," said Ren Wanping, deputy director of the Palace Museum, at the opening ceremony.

The stone produced in Qingtian was widely used in seal making during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. At present, the Palace Museum in Beijing houses five Qingtian stone carving works produced in those dynasties and many other fine pieces.

At the opening ceremony, a book on Qingtian stone and the Palace Museum was launched.

A stone carving masterpiece on display at the festival showcases the exquisite detail to be found in these works of art. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Considered as embroidery on the stone, the festival for Qingtian stone carvings not only showcases the consummate skills of Chinese craftsmen, but also boosts the stone carving industry in the area.

Qingtian stone carving was selected in the first list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006 and it was included in the first list of national traditional craft revitalization catalogs in 2018.