Preface

Definition of “appreciation stone”: it is a stone art that can be collected in nature and has appreciation value, collection value, scientific value and economic value.

China's stone appreciation art was conceived in the pre Qin Dynasty, started in the Wei and Jin Dynasties,matured in the Tang and Song Dynasties, improved in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, declined in the Republic of China, and developed in the contemporary era. The traditional stone appreciation art standard with the aesthetic characteristics of “thin, wrinkled, leaky and transparent”has developed into a new stone appreciation art standard with the four natural elements of “shape, quality, color and grain” and the four humanistic elements of “rhyme meaning, naming, setting and inheritance”. With the approval of the State Council, the art of stone appreciation been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage projects.

appreciation stone is the masterpiece of nature, the creation of heaven, earth, sun and moon, the treasure given by God and the movement of poetry and painting. The appreciation stones in this album present uncanny shapes, colorful colors and elegant and interesting patterns. It systematically introduces the natural scientific attributes of various appreciation stones, such as rock characteristics, mineral composition, structure and geological formation. According to the various natural shapes or natural pictures of each stone, the appreciation stone culture is combined with traditional Chinese knowledge and moral education, so as to enhance the readers' love, awe and understanding of nature and protection.

Natural stone,wonderful meaning given by people，strange stones are not only works of art, but also the ancestor of art. We can admire strange stones from the perspective of human art, but we have no right to demand strange stones according to the standards of human art. To get or admire a favorite stone is like meeting a favorite lover. It's a kind of fate!