The first China Coal Carving Artworks Exhibition was launched in Liupanshui city in Southwest China's Guizhou Province on July 30. It is the first large-scale coal carvings exhibition in China and the world to feature several innovative characteristics -- its grand scale, new contents and unique materials.

  A "first" in history

The exhibition boasts a 280-meter-long, 2.5-meter-high relief, and more than 20 large sculptures featuring original themes and bold, rough styles, attracting hundreds of visitors.

In addition, there are hundreds of artworks by famous coal sculptors or coal craftwork companies, such as "Mineworkers", "Deep Feeling Between Father and Son", "Harmony," and so on, which reflect the lives of mineworkers and minority cultures and customs.

"Harmony" depicts scenes of Miao, Yi and Buyei ethnic-minority women, dressed in splendid costumes, playing the zither and beating drums. The joyful and harmonious images take visitors back to the age-old mountainous villages with verdant bamboo forests, gurgling fountains, melodious tweedle and bright drumbeats.

  Raw materials

Coal carving handiworks always use jet - a hard black mineral obtained from coal seam that can be polished brightly -- as their basic material. It is black and shining, solid and wearable. With its light quality and high density, jet has been buried deep in the layers of the earth for hundreds of millions of years.

However, excessive mining has made jet scarce. The coal carvings in this exhibition are, based on modern carving art concepts and technology, made from a combination of jet powder and fiberglass.