A stunning view in the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone in Kaihua county, Quzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

In Kaihua county, Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, over 20,000 root carving artworks are displayed in the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone.

The Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone has grown over time from being a small workshop into an international root carving hub and a national 5A-level tourist attraction. Transforming discarded wood into artistic masterpieces, it's a real boost to local economic growth.

It holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest root carving museum, featuring diverse root carvings. The Maitreya Buddha Hall in the zone has on display 17 large Buddhist figures carved from ancient roots, highlighting the exquisite and intricate artistry involved.

Exquisite sculptures show the intricate artistry of Kaihua root carving. [Photo/Tide News]

Since the inclusion of Kaihua root carving in Zhejiang's list of intangible cultural heritage items in 2007, the site has integrated multiple cultural elements, becoming the largest and most sophisticated root carving art theme park in China.

In 2024, it recorded 1.31 million visits and was listed among the province's top tourist destinations.

The development of the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone has galvanized Kaihua's root carving industry, employing over 2,200 people and producing 300,000 pieces annually.

The Genyuan Town, centered around the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone, is a provincial specialty town themed on root carvings. It's home to 335 companies and 305 individual businesses, whose revenue doubled from 1.56 billion yuan ($217.46 million) in 2020 to 3.38 billion yuan in 2024.