''Gongshi'' (), also known as scholar's rocks or viewing stones, are naturally occurring or shaped rocks which are traditionally appreciated by Chinese scholars.Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The World of Scholars' Rocks Gardens, Studios, and Paintings"
retrieved 2012-12-20. The term is related to the Korean '' suseok'' () and the Japanese '' suiseki'' (). Scholars' rocks can be any color, and contrasting colors are not uncommon. The size of the stone can also be quite varied: scholars' rocks can weigh hundreds of pounds or less than one pound. The term also identifies stones which are placed in traditional Chinese gardens.

History

In the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, a set of four important qualities for the rocks were recognized. They are: thinness (瘦 shòu), openness (透 tòu), perforations (漏 lòu), and wrinkling (皺 zhòu). Gongshi influenced the development of Korean '' suseok'' and Japanese '' suiseki''.

Sources

There are three main Chinese sources for these stones. * Lingbi stone (''Lingbishi'') (Chinese: 灵璧石) from Lingbi,

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

province, limestoneCousins, Craig. (2006)
''Bonsai Master Class,'' p. 246
Lingbi Stone and Asian Art Collection
. (2014) * Taihu stone (''Taihushi'') (Chinese: 太湖石) from

Lake Tai Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

province, limestone * Yingde stone (''Yingshi'' or ''Yingdeshi'') (Chinese: 英石 or 英德石) from

Yingde Yingde (Postal romanization, postal: Yingtak; ) is a historical city in the north of Guangdong Province, China. The city is on the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River. Administratively, it is part of the Qingyuan, Guan ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

province, limestone The geological conditions needed for the formation of stones are also present at some other sites.

Formation

Scholar's stones are generally karstic limestone.

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

is water-soluble under some conditions. Dissolution pitting dissolves hollows in the limestone. On a larger scale, this causes

speleogenesis Speleogenesis is the origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution. It often deals with the development of caves through limestone, caused by the prese ...

(when caves dissolve in limestone bedrock). On a still larger scale, the dissolved caves collapse, gradually creating

karst topography Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

, such as the famous landscapes of Guilin in the

South China Karst The South China Karst (), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2007, spans the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. It is noted for its karst features and landscapes as well as rich biodiversity. The site comprises seven clust ...

. As rocks are broadly

fractal In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...

(geology journals require a scale to be included in images of rocks), the small rocks can resemble the larger landscape.

Aesthetics

The

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

of a scholar's rock is based on subtleties of color, shape, markings, surface, and sound. Prized qualities include: * awkward or overhanging

asymmetry Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pre ...

Mendelson, John
"Chinese scholars' rocks simultaneously original and simulacrum" at ArtNet.com
1996; retrieved 2012-12-20> * resonance or ringing when struck * representation or resemblance to mountainous landscapes, particularly these believed to be inhabited by immortal beings or figures * texture * moistness or glossy surface The stone may be displayed on a rosewood pedestal that has been carved specifically for the stone. The stones are a traditional subject of Chinese paintings.Harvard Museums
"Scholar's rock", 1993 painting
Linrothe, Robert N. (2004)
''Paradise and Plumage: Chinese Connections in Tibetan Arhat Painting,'' p. 24
retrieved 2012-12-20.

Gallery

File:太湖賞石-Rock in the form of a fantastic mountain MET DT208239.jpg, Taihu limestone File:山形靈璧石-Rock in the Form of a Fantastic Mountain MET L37147 2011 575 3ab.jpg, Black Lingbi limestone File:靈璧賞石-Rock in the form of a fantastic mountain MET DP350726.jpg, Gray Lingbi limestone File:靈璧賞石-Rock in the form of a fantastic mountain MET DT208238.jpg, Black Lingbi limestone File:Taihu rock, China, Qing dynasty, limestone with hongmu wood base - Princeton University Art Museum - DSC07081.jpg, Taihu limestone File:Guo Xu album dated 1503 (9).jpg, In 1503, Guo Xu painted ''Mi Fu Bowing to a Rock''. The 11th-century calligrapher Mi Fu, often regarded as eccentric, believed that some of these rocks had their own souls and would pay them his respects by bowing.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Scholar's rocks
Visuals and examples of scholar rocks

Galleries of scholar rocks

Books on scholars' rocks

* ttp://shimagata.tripod.com/srclass.htm Classification of Chinese scholar's rocks
Scholar's rock at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Outdoor sculptures in China Chinese art Chinese gardening styles Rock art in China Garden ornaments