“Jade Revealed from Stone”

"Jade Revealed from Stone" is an art sculpture designed specifically for the Sihui Service Area along the Guanghe Expressway. As the first Class I specialty service area of Guangdong Transportation Group, the piece draws inspiration from the city's heritage as the "Hometown of Jade" and its deep-rooted Duan Inkstone culture. The design deconstructs the Chinese characters for "jade" (玉) and "inkstone" (砚), reinterpreting them through the Eastern philosophy of yin-yang balance and the fusion of form and meaning, thereby reshaping the cultural narrative of the expressway service area.

The sculpture takes the oracle bone script characters for "stone" (石), "see" (见), and "jade" (玉) as its conceptual core. Three weathering steel blocks mimic the textures of Duan inkstones and jade, symbolizing the transformation of stone into inkstone (yin) and the revelation of jade from stone (yang). As light and shadow pass through the carved oracle script, they project dynamic imprints onto the surroundings. The sculpture is complemented by stone-like artistic benches arranged in varying heights and orientations, harmonizing with the dry landscape garden beneath. This integration transforms a brief roadside stop into a culturally immersive experience.

The ground landscape features a dry garden composed of gravel, tracing the courses of the Xijiang, Beijiang, Suijiang, and Longjiang rivers—symbolizing the geographical essence of Sihui City. This design, interwoven with the sculpture, creates a poetic representation of "heaven and earth in dialogue, four rivers converging," elevating the service area beyond its functional role into a spiritual landmark that preserves the city's cultural memory.

Sustainable materials such as weathering steel, stone-like composites, and eco-friendly paints minimize resource consumption. The permeable and breathable properties of the gravel help reduce rainwater runoff, improving the local ecological environment and reinforcing the project's commitment to sustainability.