Twenty-five masters from around the country will perform stone carving in front of an audience in late August, at the third National Stone Carving and Design Competition held in Anshun in southwestern Guizhou province.

Su Kuifeng, from eastern Fujian province, is one of them. He said he felt a little nervous at the prospect of having to finish his work in just two and a half days.

"It generally takes half a month to complete a stone carving," he said. "Live competition is a real test of your ability, because any cheating is impossible."

It is the third time that Su has competed in the event.

His white marble sculpture of the sitting image of Chang'e - the goddess in the moon in Chinese tales - won him a golden award in the first contest back in 2015.

"It's a very good platform to show off your skills and establish potential commercial links," Su said.

Su started learning stone sculpture when he was about 10 years old. Now he is 36 and running his own workshop.

He and about 10 employees earn a living by doing project work for construction companies, including carving patterns on handrails.

Since a lot of people will witness the competition, it could provide a launchpad for new business, he said.

Su said he has won around 10,000 yuan ($1,500) so far from the awards, an amount not to be sniffed at in stone-carving circles.

Co-organized by the China Stone Material Association and the China Development Strategy Institute for Building Materials Industry, the contest is open to companies, organizations and individuals across the country.

Since 2015, more than 1,100 sculptors from 26 provinces and regions have attended the contest.

"The event seeks to help the further development of the stone arts and nurture the cultural self-confidence of Chinese people," said Geng Pei, director of the 2017 contest's organizing committee office.

Geng said it aims to stimulate their enthusiasm for innovation and to promote the spirit of craftsmanship, so they perform fine work with perseverance.

The design contest of the twelve symbolic animals of the Chinese zodiac was extremely popular with the public in previous contests. This year's subject is the rooster, he added.

Stamps with images of the stone zodiac will be released in the market after the event.

Other themes of the contest included intangible cultural heritage, square sculptures, handicrafts and the region's unique application of stone materials.

Winning works will be displayed and evaluated at the final in Anshun in late August, competing for two golden, 10 silver and 20 bronze awards.

Geng added that the organizing committee would commission some companies to produce and sell prize-winning works.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/24/2017 page12)