Boat Carved from an Olive Stone

[1] Inside the boat, there are a total of eight figures, with the Song dynasty poet Su Tung-po sitting beside the window at the table.

[2] The full text of Su Tung-po's Latter Ode on the Red Cliff of more than 300 characters is engraved in details on the bottom of the boat, demonstrating the expert craftsmanship of the artist.

[1] The poem depicts the poet enjoying a boat ride with his friends on a full moon night at the site of Battle of Red Cliffs.

The artist, Chen, recreated a miniature moment, with the boat being a symbol of seclusion holding men safely on top of life and water.

Following the fall of the Qing Empire in the Chinese Revolution of 1911, the sculpture became part of the collection of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City.