A fine stone carving by Chen Lizhong, a masterful artisan based in Fuzhou, capital city of Southeast China's Fujian province, is now on display in the city.

The artwork, entitled Chunshengfu, was carved from a 600-kilogram Shoushan stone and features 56 birds and two phoenixes perching on a pine tree.

Shoushan stone, mined in Shoushan village in Fujian province, is long-renowned for its bright colors and beautiful texture. Carved objects using the stone can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

According to Chen, the stone sculpture took him five years to finish. The original stone was 0.78 meters in width, 1.4 meters in length and 0.56 meters in thickness.

Chen, who was born in 1968, has devoted himself to Shoushan stone carving for years and is a national-level craft art master.

A visitor from Italy admires Chunshengfu, a stone carving created by Chen Lizhong, a master artisan, in Fuzhou, capital city of Southeast China's Fujian province on Jan 31. [Photo/Chinanews.com]