Our purpose is to establish an ongoing international dialogue about contemporary displays that will help to promote stone appreciation. We encourage members of the global viewing stone community to create new ways of displaying stones that reflect your life in the 21st century, your regional geology, your customs, craft and culture. Unfamiliar types of stones, bases, accessories and materials are welcome. We are not confined to displaying viewing stones in either the traditional Japanese or Chinese manner. These are options available to us and we should respect and acknowledge the established ways of displaying stones, but they are not the only way. It is timely to explore exciting new options to create stone displays that have bases, display tables, and other accessories that reflect our regional and national arts and crafts.

At first, this may seem like a frivolous way to name and display a simple stone. However, if you are familiar with the Chinese idiom “One Step to Heaven” (一步登天), which appears in both classical and modern writings, this stone display has a deeper meaning. Literally, this saying means “to ascend to Heaven in a single step.” This idiom is used when someone has an unexpected or sudden rise to success, stature, or power. It is also used when someone has a major promotion or exceptional good luck. 

This airy, undulating base represents clouds, while the foot-shaped rock is all that is seen of someone who is entering Heaven. The carved wood base is 20 cm wide, 9 cm high, and 11.5 cm deep. It is in the private collection of Phillip Ho.