Carvers in Lushan bid to recover from quake

Thousands of craftsmen working in the ebony industry severely hit by disaster two years ago

Two years after being hit by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake, Lushan county in Sichuan province is striving to recover its root carving industry in an effort to preserve the traditional art form and boost the local economy.

Lushan is the biggest ebony root carving market in China. Some 220 workshops, 1,200 craftsmen and 8,000 others are engaged in the industry. The annual output was worth 1 billion yuan ($161 million) before the quake.