Place of origin:
The area from Yichang to Zhijiang in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River
Mineral composition:
Quartz veins, calcite, silicates
These stones are taken from the riverbed, beaches, mountain peaks, and gorges adjacent to the Yangtze River in the area of the famous Three Gorges. Yichang in Hubei province is particularly rich in these stones. Three Gorges stones are cobbles, some of which are crude and rough, while others are smooth. Common features are their extremely prominent natural veins, refined colors, and diverse forms. The main colors and the Three Gorges stones are black and white and yellow gray, occasionally with peculiar patterns resembling human beings, flying birds, running animals, mountains, clouds, and the sun or moon. Some of the stones are rich in motifs of Chan (meditative Buddhism, Zen in Japanese) while others appear to have Chinese characters naturally inscribed on them.