The dragon carving at Xuanyue Gate

The Zhishi Xuanyue Stone Archway is entirely constructed by carving huge bluestone into components and then using mortise and tenon joints. Ancient craftsmen employed various techniques such as high relief, intaglio carving, round carving, and flat carving to carve patterns like cranes, auspicious clouds, dragons, ruyi, and the Eight Immortals. The structure is compact yet expansive, giving people a sense of luxury and grandeur, as well as a stable and imposing momentum. This giant stone-carved building, with its superb design and exquisite craftsmanship, is truly astonishing. It represents the highest level of stone carving art at that time and is hailed as a treasure in China's stone carving art.