Established in 1993, the National Stone Museum situated in Hanyang District’s Cuiwei Lu region in China is a truly unique tourist attraction. Visited by both locals and foreigners, the museum houses over 1,300 pieces of stones from China. Whilst some of these stones were collected from Hainan Province in the country’s south end, there are also some found in Inner Mongolia. The collection also includes stones from Suzhou Province in the east and Gansu Province in the west.

Since the entire collection had turned out to be too large to be put on display, only a selected number of stones can be seen today; these include Yingde, Yuha, Lingbi and Taihu in addition to Balin, Guanglu, Chanhai, Qingtian and Shoushan. The stones have been arranged into different groups by ancient animal fossils, mineral components, vein and figure. One of the highlights at the museum is the third largest piece of crystal in China that is kept here. Some of the stones in the collection have a connection with significant historical events; one such stone is Ji Nian Shi.

With distinctive designs and shapes, the stones at the museum are crude and intact. The value of a piece of stone is estimated by its various peculiarities such as whether it is clear enough for light to go through and other aspects such as if it is rugged, ugly, odd, elegant, large or slender. These are part of the criterion of a stone’s value.

Over the years, the Chinese have gradually developed their interest in the search, collection and appreciation of stones, something that was highly prominent way back during the Jin Dynasty. This special tendency eventually spread to Europe and Southeast Asia as well. Currently thousands of stone aficionados are believed to exist in the world and a visit to the museum is an absolute must whether you happen to be one of them or not.

When it comes to Wuhan accommodation, there are plenty of options, but an option such as Citadines ZhuanKou Wuhan make for an ideal choice as it offers an array of beautifully appointed serviced apartments Wuhan. Base yourself at one such apartment to enjoy easy access to numerous local attractions.

Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.

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