Sun Zhaoyong, a master of Shoushan stone carving, once pranked his son with a peculiar creation: a "stone burger". He placed the carved sculpture on the family dining table, waiting for a reaction. When his son reached out to take a bite, only to find the "food" heavy and cold, the joke was revealed.

That lifelike burger is part of Sun's Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Rather than a strict historical replica, the 20-year project borrows the name of the legendary banquet from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to showcase the staggering scale and variety of his stone-carved creations.

Born in 1972 into a respected carving family, Sun spent his childhood playing in his grandfather's factory. Immersed in carving from a young age, he naturally developed a passion for the craft. As he grew older, he formally apprenticed under his grandfather.

Over 36 years, Sun mastered both carving in the round and relief carving, eventually developing a unique expertise in still-life sculpture.

The medium for his art, Shoushan stone, is a precious material endemic to Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province. Mined in Shoushan township, it is prized for its ideal density and warm, wax-like luster. "It is translucent yet reserved, much like a traditional Chinese ink wash painting … ethereal and leaving infinite room for imagination," said Sun.

Renowned for its natural beauty, Shoushan stone appears in over 200 shades, including red, yellow, white and purple. The history of Shoushan stone carving dates back 1,500 years, when the stone became a favored material for the seals of ancient scholars and emperors, including Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

In 2006, Shoushan stone carving was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage, and Sun is recognized as a provincial-level representative inheritor of the ancient art.