Set in stone: Carver devoted to literature

Over the past 40 years, Li Hongpeng has created more than 5,000 microscopic carvings, including nearly 5 million Chinese characters.

The 66-year-old artist, who runs an art studio in Changchun, Jilin province, learned calligraphy and carving decades ago when he served in the army. Then he began carving in his spare time.

After retirement, he had more time to carve, and he began reflecting Chinese classical literature in his art.

His most exquisite work is an 80-centimeter-long, 52-centimeter-high stone carved with Cao Xueqin's classic The Story of the Stone, better known as A Dream of Red Mansions. Li spent five years on the carving, which includes 610,000 Chinese characters.

He traveled to different cities around China to look for the stone. Following the quality and overall structural layout of the stone, he held every character to a height between 0.3 and 0.6 millimeters.

He also carved pavilions, bridges, water and flowers to enrich the overall artistic effect of his work.

"Microscopic carving is a comprehensive art," he said. "To create an excellent work, an artist should be proficient in calligraphy, seal engraving, literature and history."

In the future, he plans to continue carving.

"I hope to finish all four great classical novels in Chinese literature — A Dream of Red Mansions, The Water Margin, Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms," he said.