A Taihu rock Photo: IC

Having traveled thousands of miles, a six-and-a-half-ton Taihu rock from China recently found its new home at San Antonio Museum of Art in the US state of Texas.

The rock was presented as a gift to the city of San Antonio from its Chinese sister city Wuxi in Jiangsu Province to celebrate their friendship.

A ceremony was held on November 6 at the museum to unveil the giant and precious rock. Installed in the museum's yard, the rock can be seen from both the museum and the River Walk, a famous city park and network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River.

Officials from the Wuxi government, city of San Antonio and the Chinese Consulate General in Houston attended the ceremony.

Sun Guoxiang, deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Wuxi Municipal People's Congress, said since Wuxi and San Antonio forged their sister-city relationship in 2012, cultural, economic and educational exchanges between the two cities have become increasingly frequent.

"This Taihu rock will make our relationship closer," he said.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the Taihu rock has become a window on China.

"Our two cities share friendship and a dedication to bring communities together through art, history and a mutual desire to learn from one another. Our active sister-city relationship with Wuxi has featured a number of exchanges, increasing the global diplomacy of residents in both cities," he said, adding "the importance of cultural activities and exchanges are all the more relevant at times like this. Culture is the glue that holds everything together through our appreciation of shared humanity."

Made of limestone that has been dramatically shaped over eons by the natural motion of water, Taihu rocks are appreciated aesthetically by Chinese and have been sculptural elements in Chinese garden design for more than a thousand years.

"This type of rock is considered an embodiment of Yin and Yang, and represents harmony between man and nature," said Shawn Yuan, assistant curator for Asian art at the museum. "Some of the best of them are quarried near Wuxi on the shores of Taihu Lake."

Transporting and installing a 3.7-meter-tall, 1.8-meter-wide rock was not an easy task. Thanks to many local art patrons, the rock now is standing at the backyard of the museum, hoping to attract more art lovers to explore Chinese culture.

Barbara and George Williams are among the supporters to make this happen. 

"It was amazing. We thought it is something that would be very unique. We love the fact that it's out here where people can see and maybe call attention to the museum," said Barbara Williams.

"It's a wonderful idea to connect the cities and countries, because in this world, we are too separated. We don't collaborate enough. We don't see the commonality that we all have as human beings. That's primarily our reason to support this project," she continued.

Along with the Taihu rock, 26 works of Chinese painting, calligraphy, ceramics, jade carving, gold, and silver from the Wuxi Museum are being exhibited in the museum until early next year. Some of the works are national treasures that had previously never been shown overseas.

Attending the unveiling ceremony, Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei said, "We are glad to see the precious rock be placed along the lovely and tranquil riverside as a unique decoration of the city and a symbol of the long-lasting friendship of the two cities."

A total of 227 sister-city relationships have been established between China and the US since the two countries established diplomatic ties four decades ago, representing the progress made in the bilateral exchanges at the city level, Cai said, adding "the communication between Chinese and US cities has become an important part of China-US relations."

"The dedication of the Taihu rock is a symbol of building up more connections and platforms to facilitate people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding and provides a boost for the friendly, healthy and steady development of bilateral relations," Cai said.  
Newspaper headline: Rock-solid friendship