BackgroundSpirit stones are also variously known in the West as scholar's rocks or viewing stones. Gong shi 供石 is another general term for these often fantastically shaped stones as are: qi shi 奇石 or guai shi 怪石—unusual or strange stones. They are appreciated for their shapes, forms, textures, and colors. Scholar's rocks are typically displayed on desks or tables, or any other suitable place for displaying works of art. These rocks may serve as a focus for meditation and contemplation while writing poems or painting. Most rocks resemble mountains, mountain ranges, overhangs, caves, and similar natural features. Others may remind the collector of animals and/or mythical creatures. As is so common with "found art" the pieces act as a catalyst to spark the imagination. Typically the Chinese classify such stones by their place of origin. Stones that have been extensively altered by human processing typically have poetic or fanciful names. Japanese nomenclature calls viewing stones that are naturally shaped by the processes of erosion and weather suiseki 水石 (water stones) and those shaped by humans through grinding, polishing, dyeing, or cutting biseki 美石 (beautiful stones). Each of these large categories has numerous sub-categories. Categories of StonesComparison of Classical Japanese and Chinese Viewing Stones General Viewing Stone Information The Viewing Stone (a brief history of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Western appreciation of viewing stones) Viewing stone classifications: Japanese | Chinese | Korean Viewing Stone Classification (a contemporaty update to traditional Japanese categories of suiseki 水石) For more information about scholar's stones see bibliography below. Examples of Stones
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