大自然的微雕与澳洲之宝的合璧 －南京雨花石及澳洲奇石展 友石轩赏石艺术工作室　石头城网站http://www.friendstone.com

Rain Flower Pebble Stones Exhibition 静心斋 杨德辉先生的精美风景绘画

Free Entrance, All Welcome! 雨花石绘画

应澳大利亚布里斯本的里迪马学院（Redeemer College）和石祥明牧师的邀请，友石轩赏石艺术工作室收藏的部分雨花石及中澳观赏石于2006年7月22日(10.am-5.pm)在里迪马学院（Redeemer College. 745, Rochedale Rd, Rochedale. Q4123）展出，同时展出的还有来自香港画家的雨花石绘画及来自台湾的画家杨德辉先生的精美风景绘画，展出以友石轩赏石艺术工作室收藏的约二百多枚小型雨花石精品―自然的微雕为主，展品中有春夏秋冬的四季风景，维妙维肖的灰姑娘与水晶鞋，玲珑可爱的小动物，令人难以置信的是这些竟是自然形成的石头！同时展出中国国画石和多位澳洲友人赠送友石轩赏石艺术工作室的澳洲奇石与矿石。

展览配以五十多幅精美的彩色照片与文字介绍以及《石头城》报、《雨花石报》及《精品雨花石艺术收藏礼品扑克》等相关展品，以下是将展出的部分展石、展品和相关照片。

雨花石(Rain Flower Pebble),秋韵(melody of autumn)  友石轩收藏

火山岩(lava),狮舞Lion of dance 　林德赛.鲍伯(Lindsay bebb)先生赠送

矿物晶体(Crystalloid),透明石膏(Selenite-Satin Spar×Gypsum)　格莱.培根（Gray Bacon）教授赠送

化石：硅化木(Petrified wood) 菲利普.威廉斯（Philip Williams）博士赠送

春山新雨后(Spring mountain of rained)

雨花石(Rain Flower Pebble) 产地:中国南京 from: Nanjing,China

　　　

夕阳醉了(sunset)	生气的孙悟空(monkey)　猫头鹰(owl)	小丑(clown)

展览得到了热烈的回应，展前，澳大利亚布里斯本的Southern Star报在头版头条的位置进行了报道（英文），当地区华文报纸《壹周报》、《华商周报》等用中文进行了报道。皇家昆士兰艺术家协会会员、世界艺术联合总会澳大利亚分会孟刚会长（著名旅澳画家）赠送了＂石缘＂的书法作品并到现场参观．台湾著名画家杨德辉先生专门为展览作画并送多幅作品同时展出．著名作家洪丕柱、宝石与奇石专家韩宝林先生等多位友人莅临展场参观了展览．中国观赏石协会荣誉副会长、濠洲盆景园（Goshu Bonsai）的林德赛.鲍伯(Lindsay bebb)先生赠送了采自南澳的红色火山岩并留言“A very nice display—Thank You”(非常好的展览,谢谢)，多位中外友人盛赞雨花石展览并留言，其中几位澳大利亚奇石爱好者盛情邀请友石轩赏石工作室成员参观他们的藏品．

应旅澳华人文学团体＂艺文雅集＂的邀请，友石轩赏石艺术工作室在七月十九号作了＂中国赏石文化及南京雨花石＂讲座之后，应昆士兰中国人协会及布里斯本花园城图书馆(Garden City Library)的邀请，友石轩将再次在七月二十七号（周四，晚7:00-9:00）作赏石讲座并于八月八号在该图书馆展出部分雨花石及观赏石精品（见《移民镜报》、《华商快报》的预告）。

Time: Saturday, 22nd July, (10:00 am - 5:00 pm),2006

Venue: Redeemer College. 745, Rochedale Rd, Rochedale. QLD 4123, Australia

Exhibit direct from Nanjing,China. On display will be many Beautiful Picture Stones, known in China as Rain Flower Pebble. These famous gemstones are the Chinese version of Australia’s precious opals. Be amazed by the beautiful gemstones within which many landscapes, animals and figures can be observed; it is only limited by your imagination. More than 250 stones will be on display at this exhibition, so come and be dazzled by this colourful, fantastic and interesting display. Also on show will be some traditional Chinese paintings by talented local painters originally from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and several stones collected from Australia.

Chinese Rain Flower Pebbles

By John Menadue

As the ancient Chinese legend goes, when Master Monk Yun Guang was expounding the texts of Buddhism, Heaven was so moved that it rained colourful flowers down onto the earth. When those flowers fell on the ground, they turned into colourful stones.

Recently, I attended a gemstone exhibition at Redeemer College, Rochedale in Brisbane. It was presented by the Friendstone Xuan Viewing Stone Arts Workshop(FXVSAW). The exhibition of more than 250 stones gave FXVSAW a chance to share the interest of rain flower pebbles and viewing stones with the Brisbane community. I am grateful to FXVSAW introduced me to a truly beautiful and unique Chinese treasure.

Rather than the beautiful fairytale, geologists have a different explanation for the stones’ formation. It is believed that rain flower pebbles were formed 12 million years ago. Natural agate contained in volcanic rocks around Nanjing were washed by the Yangtze River for millions of years and gradually developed into colourfully patterned pebbles. 

Rain flower pebbles abound in the conglomerate stratum at Rain Flower Terrace. This stratum is thought to have been formed between three and twelve million years ago. Around that time the ancient Yangtze River (and others) flowed through Nanjing carrying pieces of weathered rocks and minerals from its upper reaches and nearby mountains. Through water action, with rock rubbing on rock, different shaped pebbles were formed. They were deposited in the ancient river bed and formed a conglomerate stratum. Nanjing is situated at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and all kinds of pebbles gathered here to form the stratum. Due to movement in the Earth’s crust, this stratum was raised 50 to 60 metres higher, with most of it exposed on the earth’s surface, allowing the pebbles to be easily found. Other stratum (similarly formed) may lie buried deep underground elsewhere. A new conglomerate stratum has been discovered about 200 metres underground at Shanghai.

The Rain Flower Terrace occupies around 153 hectares, and is located in the south of Nanjing. The platform on which the Monk’s preaching took place became known as the Rain Flower Platform and later the name extended to the whole mound. This mound was about 60 metres high and 2 kilometres wide. The colourful pebbles found around the Rain Flower Terrace have therefore been called Rain Flower Pebbles, although normally that name is only applied to those pebbles that are considered worthy of appreciation and collection. In China they are referred to as Yuhuashi. The Rain Flower Terrace is a very beautiful spot that is rich in historical monuments as well as natural scenery. Rain flower pebbles have become an important symbol of Nanjing, forming part of its culture and tradition.

The pebbles have a remarkable array of different colours as well as a lively translucent appearance, meaning that they appear to transmit light yet are not transparent. They are considered to be a national treasure of China. The Nanjing Museum of Rain Flower Pebbles collects and researches these agate-like stones, one of which was taken to the 24th Seoul Olympic Games as the "Peace Lucky Stone" by the delegation of China. In 1990, 651 exquisite rain flower pebbles specially chosen from thousands of pebbles belonging to 200 collectors in Nanjing were exhibited in the China Modern History Museum and praised as pearls of the East. These picture stones have also been described as opals of the orient. While these descriptions are admirable, to my mind rain flower pebbles seem to be most closely aligned with agate. Chinese scholars agree, however China opal [component: SiO₂ +nH₂O] also belongs to the rain flower pebble family. Sometimes called protein stone, this China opal has a different colour and appearance when compared with Australian opal.

Rain flower pebbles, or Yuhuashi are a curious combination of agate, opal, jasper, quartz, flint, etc. Those pebbles containing agate are called agate stones or Rain flower agate. They are the outstanding specimens amongst all rain flower pebbles. Given the wide assortment of these pebbles, their formation and chemical composition are varied and complicated. As far as the agate stones are concerned it is generally believed they came from primary agate formed by the remnants of magma. These remnants filled the small openings of basalt or rhyolite, and became agate balls or agate veins according to the shape of the opening. Up to this point we could be describing Queensland agate, except that now the primary agate material is separated from the basalt by natural forces and becomes agate stones through the action of flowing water (over a very long time).

Rain flower pebbles are visually striking stones with beautiful naturally occurring designs. They are reputed for the natural beauty of their vein and colour. The stones fall into two categories – monochrome, which is several variations and tints of the one colour, and multicoloured. Colouring is determined by the chemical composition of the minerals within the stone. Australian agate enthusiasts will know that primary agate is mostly silicon dioxide, with small traces of chemical compounds. The elements within these compounds have different colours – iron is red or yellow, copper is blue or green, manganese is purple or pink, and silicon dioxide is white or colourless. Various shades of colour appear in the veins depending on the quantity of the element present. It is the colour and veins of the pebbles that interplay to form an infinite variety of pictures and designs.

Every stone is unique – a different picture or design, limited only by one’s imagination. FXVSAW’s display included a set of stones, each a representative picture of the four seasons. Nature is a common pictorial theme with images of the sun, moon, mountains, valleys and rivers visible on pebbles. One neat trick that is used when displaying these pebbles is sometimes to combine two or more individual stones to form one picture. One example I have seen is a 3-person family (6 stones), each person represented by two stones, the top stone being the head with detailed facial features (hair, eyes, smiling mouth) with the bottom stone being the body complete with appropriate clothing. Another example, which I photographed at the exhibition, was of an angry monkey and an owl. Can you recognize them in the photo? The variety is infinite and unfortunately any photographs that are published with this article will not do justice to the collection.

Many readers may be familiar with the colour and beauty of agate, particularly those found around Agate Creek in far North Queensland. These originated about 150 million years ago (some earlier) and were associated with volcanic activity. Given that Queensland arguably has some of the best agates in the world, why my interest in these Chinese agate stones? Queensland agates (and probably most other agates around the world) get their beauty from within the stone – ie. the stones must be cut and polished, cabochon, tumbled, sliced, or even sometimes carved into cameos to reveal the inner beauty of the agate. Fossickers will know that most agates look more like a mouldy old potato when they are first found. Agates vary in size from a small bird egg to a football. When fossicking, the only time you may actually see the beautiful colouring is if you stumble upon a chip or broken piece, revealing the beauty within and allowing the piece to be easily spotted. Even then, these broken pieces still require cutting and polishing, etc.

Most rain flower pebbles are not cut, polished, tumbled, carved, or sliced. They are found with their beauty already revealed. If you only found rain flower pebbles, your gem club equipment would remain unused. The pebble surface has a high degree of lustre as it has been polished naturally by water action over millions of years. The stones are best presented for viewing by placing them in a small white bowl of water. When the pebbles are placed in clear water, tiny cavities on the surface are filled with the water molecules, producing deflected light that turns the natural colour mosaics into various pictures and patterns such as animals, plants, landscapes, celestial objects, and human figures. 

The stones are best appreciated individually or in small groups for their truly unique and aesthetic beauty. Lesser quality stones have been used in quantities in ornamental gardens and as aquarium stones.

I have read that waterworn agate pebbles are found in alluvial gravels around the Beechworth area (Vic) and some streams of the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne. Perhaps readers with knowledge of these areas could comment on how this waterworn agate material compares with the Chinese rain flower pebbles? One can only speculate that if North Queensland’s Agate Creek (usually dry) were similar to the mighty Yangtze River, then Queensland may have had their own version of rain flower pebbles.

Acknowledgements:

1. Thanks to Friendstone Xuan Viewing Stone Arts Workshop for assistance with information.
2. Thanks to Redeemer College, Rochedale for providing the exhibition venue.

References:

1. Stones City Website:http://www.friendstone.com
2. Jiangshu Ancient Books Press/Hong Kong. Jiabin Press, Album Rain Flower Pebble Treasure, 1989. Nanjing/Hong Kong, P.R. China.

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