Over 120 stone carvings dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD), which have been scattered in mountains and valleys or collected as showpieces in people's homes, were recently collected and put on display in a museum in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province.
The stone carvings, shaped as either animals or people of official rank, belonged to a prominent family surnamed Shi, whose offspring commissioned the pieces as burial ornaments.
Experts pointed out that that the carvings are as delicate and meticulously-carved as the world-renowned terra-cotta warriors in Xi'an.
The collection was made by Yang Gucheng, a renowned local archaeologist.
(People’s Daily 02/06/2001)
