|

Stone-carving works made by Ding Guoquan are pictured in Shaoxing. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Forty years have passed since Ding Guoquan, an inheritor of the stone-carving craft in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, first learned the craft when he was 16.

"My motivation then was quite simple. I hoped to make a living by learning the skill, but later fell in love with it," said Ding when speaking of how he started.

Ding Guoquan, a stone-carving master in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, poses with a stone lion he carved. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Ding no longer relies on stone carving to make a living but he still practices his skills. Although a reticent man, Ding is especially expressive when talking about the craft.

Stone-carving craftsmen in ancient times left many masterpieces in Shaoxing. The famous ones include the dragon-carving pillar at the Shunwang Temple and the Keyan Buddha Statue in Keqiao district, Ding said.

Ding's tools and work. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Ding explained that Shaoxing used to have many quarries which gave rise to the city's stone-carving craftsmanship.

In June 2006, the stone-carving craft was included in the first batch of Shaoxing intangible cultural heritages.