A colorful glaze-painted miniature of Datong's Nine-Dragon Wall became the highlight of the five-day Arts and Crafts Exhibition at the Culture and Art Center of Shuozhou city, Shanxi province on Sept 1.

The miniature weighs more than 500 kilograms and is 5.1 meters long, 1 meter high and 48 centimeters thick. It is made of wood and painted with mineral paint which will never fade. It took craftsmen two years to complete the work.

The original Nine-Dragon Wall is a type of screen wall carved with nine Chinese dragons. The walls are typically found in imperial palaces and gardens. This miniature is even more impressive with 99 versions of the Chinese character "long", which means "dragon", inscribed on the back. It shows the essence of Chinese calligraphy.

This is the first time that Shanxi province has held such an exhibition, welcoming exhibitors from nearly 100 companies. There are more than 5,000 handicrafts on display, including sculptures, paintings, embroideries, tapestries, jewelry and ceramics.

By Li Xiaonan