A jade carving exhibition featuring works of national intangible cultural heritage inheritor Gao Zhaohua and his apprentices got underway at Liwan Museum.

The exhibition, free of charge, will display works that showcase the natural ecology, religious culture and social outlook of China in the new era from various aspects.

Visitors admire the masterpiece Riyue Tonghui at Liwan Museum. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

One highlighted piece of the exhibit is the jade carving known as Riyue Tonghui, meaning "shine forever like the moon and the sun". The three-part artwork took Gao and his students over 14,000 hours to create. Delicate carving techniques have been applied in the work, while some of the techniques were once on the edge of extinction.

Riyue Tonghui consists of three parts and is created by Gao and his students in over 14,000 hours. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

In 2008, Guangzhou Jade Carving was selected in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

Gao is a representative of the Guangzhou Jade Carving. In 2009, he was selected as the representative inheritor of the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects and enjoyed special allowances from the State Council. In 2016, his work of Riyue Tonghui was reported to be worth over 400 million yuan ($58.6 million).

Five Rings, part of the work Riyue Tonghui, garners great attention at the exhibition held at Liwan Museum. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]