The stone appreciation in Chenzhou has grown from a few stalls in the street into over 500 stone appreciation stores, pavilions and museums after 20 years’ development.
Among them, Chenzhou Peculiar Stone Museum has become the largest high-grade display venue for mineral crystals. Besides, there are many large scale and high-grade venues in Chenzhou like the Dongjiang Lake Peculiar Stone Museum, Lingshixuan Peculiar Stone Museum and Xueran Mineral Gem Museum.
In addition, Hunan Mineral and Gem Market in Changsha and the Ornamental Stone Market in Guilin have also become the distribution centers for Chenzhou mineral crystals to win popularity worldwide.
With the development of the mineral crystal industry and fever for collection, Chenzhou has formed a new type of stone market integrating production, supply, sale, appreciation and collection.
According to the preliminary estimation, the annual output value of the ornamental stone industry in Chenzhou has surpassed 500 million yuan, with an annual transaction value exceeding 300 million yuan. There are more than 80,000 people directly engaged in the production and sale of ornamental stones, and about 240,000 people in the related industries.
Chenzhou’s mineral crystal products highly praised by experts have occupied a vital part in the domestic and global markets, and have won more than one hundred medals in exhibitions around the world.
In recent years, Chenzhou has held 7 exhibitions and sale activities of ornamental stones, all of which have achieved great success and attracted wide attention worldwide.
Mineral crystals highlight Chenzhou ornamental stones, and the exhibition venues have served as good places for science popularization, with tens of thousands of visitors to come every year. A large number of beautiful mineral crystals and their illustrations play a positive role in science popularization education for visitors to learn about nature and the mysteries of the earth.
Mineral crystals in thousands of shapes are the masterpieces of nature, which give people great enjoyment of beauty. Therefore, they also promote the development of tourism. Every year, many tourists from all over the world come to see the mineral crystals, and the mineral crystal exhibition halls in Chenzhou have become a business card of Chenzhou’s tourism.
The rapid development of stone appreciation culture is closely related to the fast growth of Chenzhou’s economy and society. As the ancients say, “collect gold in turbulent times and appreciate stones in flourishing age.”
Over the past decade, Chenzhou people have been increasingly pursuing healthy and elegant spiritual enjoyment while satisfying their material life. Stone appreciation and collection have sprung up all over the city, and stone appreciation culture has become an important part of daily life.
Taking advantage of stone resources, the stone appreciation industry in Chenzhou dissolves the stone culture in the construction of harmonious society, and contributes to the close relationship between people and the economic and social development of Chenzhou.
