Appreciation and Collection of Scholar's Rocks

Author: Shen Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Treasuring Calcareous Stones as Great Treasures: The Origin of Stone Appreciation Culture
The oldest stones I have collected are Stone Axes and Blades from the Neolithic Age. Whenever I handle these ancient tools, I can sense that ancient people already had a sense of collection and appreciation when they chose stones as tools. Not all stones could be used to make stone axes. Only when the ancients found a stone beautiful, suitable, and practical would they choose it for this purpose. In fact, when they made this judgment, appreciation had already begun—in its primitive and chaotic form. When they made their choice, collection had already begun—though not like the purely spiritual collection we have today. The ancients' collection was practical, serving the purpose of securing food. And in any era, pure collection always comes after material needs are met—first filling the belly, then engaging in collecting activities.
Since our ancestors began collecting stones for practical purposes, stones have been closely intertwined with human life. From the Old Stone Age, when early humans used natural stones as tools and weapons, to the Neolithic Age, when they began crafting stone tools; from the period of simple stone construction for dwelling to modern luxurious buildings that heavily use decorative materials like granite and marble; from the simple stone ornaments of the dead in unearthed tombs to the later exquisite stone carvings and stone crafts—various types of stones have always accompanied humanity.
After the practical collection of stones, the purely spiritual collection of elegant stones began. The name "elegant stone" emerged alongside the love, appreciation, and collection of stones by scholars and connoisseurs. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, collectors of elegant stones already existed. Historical records such as the Book of Documents·Yu Gong and later the Classic of Mountains and Seas mention various types of elegant stones produced in different regions on multiple occasions.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: "An ignorant man in Song, upon finding a calcareous stone in the east of Wu Tai, took it home and treasured it as a great treasure. A traveler from Zhou heard of it and came to see it." Here, the "ignorant man" refers to what we now call a "man obsessed with collecting" or a "sick man" (one who is incurably addicted to collecting). In fact, even earlier, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the appreciation of jade had already become widespread as a precursor to the culture of stone appreciation. Historical records indicate that when King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang, he "obtained 14,000 old gemstones and wore 180,000 jade pendants." Although these figures may be exaggerated, they still show that not only was there already awareness and behavior of collecting gemstones and jade, but it was also on a considerable scale.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Legend of the Yellow Emperor further state that the Yellow Emperor was the "first to use jade in China." Given the scarcity and high value of jade, it was natural to substitute "beautiful stones" for it. The Book of Documents·Yu Gong records that among the tribute offerings from various regions, there were "strange stones from Qingzhou's lead and pine" and "floating rocks from the banks of Xuzhou's Sishui." Clearly, these "strange stones" and "floating rocks" from over 3,000 years ago were listed as tribute items as objects of appreciation. This may have been the earliest form of stone play—the movable decorative objects that focused on natural elegant stones (not gemstones, carvings, or sculptures).
Among the early influences on Chinese stone appreciation culture was Confucius. Why did Confucius love Mount Tai? To some extent, it was because he liked the unique stone landscapes of Mount Tai. The Four Books (The Analects and so on)