Chen Lizhong (left), a stone sculptor, coaches his students in carving. [Photo provided to China Daily]

He said he was deeply moved when they told him "with passion" what the People's Republic of China was like when it was founded. "Then I decided to carve the mining scene, to depict the spirit of perseverance, when Chinese people worked together to construct their country."

Chen also has a preference to carve lotuses in autumn.

In one of his works, a seedpod pops its head out of a withered lotus leaf, while a bronze crab crawls on it. All the subjects were carved on one single stone.

"We can feel the cycle of life through the autumn lotus." Though the leaves perish, he said, the wonder is the seeds sprout beneath.

"I think we should show respect for the natural law and reveal the beauty in it."

According to Chen, his art has more than 1,500 years of history.

Back in the 1920s, many artists didn't have opportunities to show or use their talent, he said.

"My teacher sold fried bread sticks in the mornings to earn his living and learned carving in the afternoon," Chen said. "A peaceful and stable society is the basis to develop art."

Now is the best era, he thinks. Thirty years ago, the number of sculptors in China was less than 1,000, while now they number around 200,000.

Chen founded his own studio and began to enroll students in the early 1990s.

"I hope they can break away from the old thinking as I teach them, and learn to form their own style," he said.