A master craftsman in north China have made a 26-ton inkstone to honor the upcoming return of Macao to the motherland.

The inkstone is 6.3-meters long, 2.6-meter-wide and 1.2-meters high taken from a 60-ton rock from a mountain along the Yishui River in Hebei Province.

Yishui inkslabs, which are very famous for their exquisiteness, rank among one of the four best kinds of inkstones in China.

The artwork on the inkstone bears 1999 lotus in full blossom, 12 phoenix and 20 dragons, and auspicious signs marking the Macao' s return to the motherland on December 20. Macao has been subjected to foreign colonial rule for more than 100 years.

Ma Jingwen, a well-known craftsman, said that inkstone and swallow are both pronounced as "Yan" in the Chinese language. A swallow flying home symbolizes the return of Macao.

It was no easy feat for local workers to move the rock from the mountain. Initially, workers attempted to move the 60-ton stone onto a 10-ton truck with little success. They then laid down logs on the ground and moved the rock little by little to the Hebei Yishui Carving Center. During the process two bridges were damaged.

Dozens of skilled craftsmen have spent more than two years completing the inkslab.