A rare stone that has unique texture and patterns won first prize in an ornamental stone exhibition held in east China's Jiangxi Province on Thursday.

The piece of natural stone, named "Olympics, the Pageant", is from Yushan county of Jiangxi, where is home to Luowen stone, one of China's prescious stones used for making inkslabs, one of the "Four Treasures of Study".

According to local newspaper Information Daily, the stone's natural patterns resemble a piece of fresco when observed at one angle, but when seen from a different angle, it is like a modern style painting that features guests from around the world gathering for the Beijing Olympics. Some viewers say the stone's peculiar patterns also remind people of the panoramic view of the Olympics, in which sportsmen compete in various games.

It is reported that the stone is currently in Beijing. It will go on display at the 2008 China Ornamental Stone Exposition.
 
(CRI.cn October 20, 2007)