Stone feast of 160 dishes draws crowds to Fuzhou historic district

In the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys historical district of downtown Fuzhou, the capital of East China's Fujian province, an exhibit of a lavish feast with more than 160 dishes made of stone is drawing crowds.

Manchu Han Imperial Feast is a collection sculpted entirely from Shoushan stone. This hyper-realistic display ranges from the renowned Fujian seafood classic "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" to modern burgers and fries, with no two pieces alike.

The creator behind this stone feast is Sun Zhaoyong, a provincial inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. Born into a respected carving family, Sun has spent years perfecting his trade. His inspiration for this massive project began in the 1990s when he carved a lifelike blood clam for his wife and realized that the 200 colors and textures of Shoushan stone were perfect for replicating food textures.

Yang Jie contributed to this story.