Set in Stone

by Wu Ping and Yao Xudong

Hailing from Qingtian， a county known as the “home of stone carving，” Ye Keqing， now chairman of the Sweden Chinese Association， has been immersed in stone carving culture since childhood. After Lin Rukui， a stone carving master， became his father-in-law， Ye became an even more qualified candidate to inherit Qingtian stone carving art.

One of Chinas four best stones for seals， Qingtian rock is mainly produced in Qingtian County， Zhejiang Province. Characterized by elaborate designs and delicate craftsmanship， Qingtian stone carvings are widely acclaimed， often referred to as embroidery on stone.

Ye left for Sweden in 1979. Starting as a busser in a restaurant， he made 20 years of unremitting efforts which culminated in the founding of Ye Industrial Corporation， which now encompasses trade companies， retail chain stores and real estate firms. Armed with ample money and overflowing passion for stone carvings， Ye became a collector of the art form. He returns to Qingtian several times every year. Whenever he returns， he makes a b-line for the countys stone carving stores and workshops. When he sets eyes on work he likes， Ye purchases it at once. He also befriends carvers and discusses the skills with them. Ye has become so popular among the artists for his sincerity and generosity that they started recommending top-of-theline work to enhance his collection. After decades of collecting， Ye now owns over 1，500 stone carvings， including some priceless pieces such as Good Harvest， Cradle of the Spring and Spring Returns.

Despite his age passing 70， Ye continues sparing no efforts to promote Qingtian stone carving culture. This September， Ye exhibited some of Qingtians best stone carving work in Stockholms Millesgarden for the 2013 Sweden China Festival. Ye plans to build a stone carving museum to house his collection， with hopes that such a museum would provide a platform to draw members of the younger generation to Qingtian stone carving.