One of the exhibited works [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 10th Guangxi (Liuzhou) International Rare Stone Festival, or the Stone Appreciation Arts Festival, took place in the city of Liuzhou, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Nov 1, attracting more than 300 enthusiasts from home and abroad to admire the stunning objects.

Co-organized by the View Stone Association of China, the China Association of Collectors, the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture and the Liuzhou municipal people's government, this year's event focused on the theme of "Halcyon China, charming stone city", targeting the integration of rare stones and cultural art.

Jiao Yaoguang, vice mayor of Liuzhou, hosts the award ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wu Wei, mayor of Liuzhou city, said that Liuzhou has won a reputation as "China's Stone City", which has become a way for the city to promote its stone appreciation culture, helping to accelerate the development of the tourism economy and increase the city's popularity. This year's event aimed to speed up the implementation of the industrial chain of rare stones, and promoting its prosperity and development.

With various original classical items, this year's event has added three new highlights. Four rare stone theme exhibitions will be shown in Liuzhou from Nov 1 to 3, with the largest scale and the widest range of stone types in its history. 

A total of 309 artworks win awards at the Rare Stone Exhibition, including 65 gold, 113 silver and 131 bronze. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Apart from three branch venues, the trade show will take place at the Liuzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center for the first time, providing visitors with a high-end viewing experience. Additionally, this year's show has introduced the pattern of "Internet Plus", integrating its official site and blog, mini programs and app, creating popular online and offline transaction modes for buyers and sellers.

Kang Yancheng, president of the Liuzhou Cultural Tourism Investment and Development Group, noted at the Stone Appreciation Cross-border Forum on Nov 1 that as a unique city with abundant stone culture, Liuzhou plays a pioneering role in rare stone history, giving a big push to the development of China's stone culture, as well as an international platform to demonstrate the city's culture and stone history to the world. 

This piece of exhibited work from Taiwan looks like a watermelon with leaves. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A foreign enthusiast is fascinated by rare stone exhibits. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]