A ten-billion-yuan stone industry chain built in Taishun

Taishun, a mountainous county, is gearing up to develop its ecological industry to boost economy. After successful reclamation of 45% of the mining rights for Taishun stone, the county has integrated it into its“3+3” ecological industry system. Recently, the local government officially issued several opinions on further supporting the Taishun stone industry. With substantial financial investment, the aim is to make Taishun stone the“fifth major national stone” and build a complete ten-billion-yuan industry chain.

Taishun stone, a unique resource, contributes to the local distinctive industry. Since the supportive policies were implemented from 2016, the county has attracted 86 master stone carvers, established 11 large-scale exhibition galleries, and won over 2000 awards at national, provincial, and municipal levels. The number of people employed in the industry has reached more than 1700. As the industries’ influence gradually expands, it is increasingly becoming an important vehicle for common prosperity.

According to the latest released government documents, the favorable policies include industrial platform establishment, carving talents attraction, and stone culture promotion. The official will help the equipment upgrade of the industry. Enterprises that purchase equipment worth more than 100,000 yuan will receive a 30% subsidy for their purchase after production starts. The official plans to support cultural products innovation and tourism promotion. Enterprises with annual sales of over 500,000 yuan and that create job opportunities for more than five people will be awarded 30,000 yuan after review and approval. Adhering to the"bring in" and"go global" strategies, various levels of carving skill competitions will be organized to promote the industry chain and broaden the path of“turning stones into gold.”

“Although with given high-quality stone resources, the most crucial element is‘talent’,” said Ren Peiyang, deputy director of the Taishun Stone Industry Research Institute. Taishun county is optimizing preferential policies and services in recent years to attract more talents. It has attracted 86 master stone carvers to return and has established the only public full-time stone carving art school of Wenzhou, offering majors in Taishun stone carving, craft design and production, and marketing. More than 1200 students have been enrolled so far.

In addition to the current talent resources, 5 national master craftsmen will be brought into Taishun. Their official debut will be at the stone carving skills competition hosted in Taishun this June. They will also lead more local stone carving talents to“level up” through a“master-apprentice” approach, thereby effectively promoting the continuous team optimization and creative vitality.(ZhongXin)