The Samara Regional Art Museum houses a collection of Chinese artworks. One of the exhibits is a great example of agalmatolite carving, a soft ornamental stone. This beige table decoration with brown veins represents a landscape in the “mountains and waters” genre. Traditional Chinese houses are hidden among the sharp mountains, and beneath them a river is overflowing. One can get to the river by going down the steps. The artist recreates in stone this diverse landscape with special subtlety and scrupulousness.

Among the many types and genres of Chinese applied art, stone carving is distinguished by its elegance and complexity. This ancient art form has a thousand-year-old history and its own unique traditions. Stone carving has come a long way from primitive Neolithic items to a highly developed craft renowned throughout the world. Artistic carving appeared in the era of ancient empires: jewelry, figurines of mythical animals, personal and household items and other products were made of various stones. The subjects that the stone carving embodied could be both of mythological and natural origin. For a Chinese artist, it is important to convey the mood and ennoble the carved stone, whether it is a figure of a lonely traveler, a stone deity or an imperial procession.

The Chinese carver is distinguished by their attitude to the material: if in the West the stone is primarily valued for its smooth color and transparency, Chinese craftsmen are drawn to the quirkiness of the natural coloring of the stone and the natural shape. They inspire the Chinese artist to create the most exquisite composition. Therefore, when choosing a piece of rock, they study its shape and the direction of the veins for a long time in order to subsequently use each spot and layer.

Agalmatolite (Chinese Pagodite or soap stone) was a popular stone for making decorative and household items. Agalmatolite can be easily processed with a knife or a cutter. After firing, it acquires a great hardness. Due to its features, such as softness and pliability, the mineral has been readily used since antiquity. Beads made of agalmatolite were found even in burials which are more than 16 thousand years old. The stone was often used in ancient China for the manufacture of semi-voluminous votive figures, small decorative and artistic items.