Located in the central and western part of Guangdong Province, Yunfu was officially established in 1994, and is the youngest prefecture-level city in the province. Yunfu is abundant in stone mines. Over 50 mineral varieties and more than 100 mining sites have been discovered so far.
Guess which one is edible?
Skillful craftsmen have inscribed the history of Yunfu onto stones. "The stone capital of China" boasts a century-long tradition, producing numerous exquisite works. From 1994 to 2023, the total industrial output value of Yunfu's building materials industry has soared from less than 4 billion yuan to 44 billion yuan, marking an 11-fold increase.
Click on the video above to learn about the stories of Liang Jiankun, representative inheritor of Guangdong provincial intangible cultural heritage (Yunfu's stone art), who is also a stone craft professor at Yunfu Technician College.
In 2016, Liang Jiankun jointly established a studio with Yunfu Technician College, supporting the development of Yunfu stone art by providing required talents, and promoting the formulation of industry skill levels.
Since Liang Jiankun started teaching at the school, over 130 students have graduated. They have entered this industry, working in the field of stone craftsmanship.
In the 45th WorldSkills Competition in construction stone carving, coach Liang Jiankun led his students to win the gold medal. This was also the first time the Chinese national team participated and won the gold medal.
The geographical layout of "three mountains and four rivers" endows Yunfu with unique historical heritage. The pioneering "stone culture" brings out Yunfu's unique temperament.
Yunfu, after 30 years of development, will continue to strive forward. Yunfu youth consciously devote themselves to cultural inheritance, bringing the spirituality of stones to full display before the world, making Yunfu's stone art stand firm in China and ultimately go global.
Editor | He Zhen, Ge Yuting, Monica, James
Video editor | Wiingheng
Photo | Screenshots of the video
