| Chinese Rain Flower Pebbles
John Menadue[澳大利亚] 陈育如译
As the ancient Chinese legend goes, when Master Monk Yun Guang was expounding the texts of Buddhism, Heaven was so moved that it rained colourful flowers down onto the earth. When those flowers fell on the ground, they turned into colourful stones.
按照中国古代的神话所述，有一位云光法师在进行佛教布道时感动了上苍，于是天空下起了祥花之雨，当这些花雨落在地面上后，它们变成了多彩的石头。
Recently, I attended a gemstone exhibition at Redeemer College, Rochedale in Brisbane. It was presented by the Friendstone Xuan Viewing Stone Arts Workshop (FXVSAW). The exhibition of more than 250 stones gave FXVSAW a chance to share the interest of rain flower pebbles and viewing stones with the Brisbane community. I am grateful to FXVSAW introduced me to a truly beautiful and unique Chinese treasure.
最近，我参观了在布里斯班市罗切达尔区里迪玛学院举办的观赏石展览，这次展览的观赏石来自中国南京石头城网站友石轩赏石艺术工作室的收藏。此次，来自中国南京的友石轩赏石艺术工作室提供了250多块雨花石和观赏石在此展出，与布里斯班市的公众分享赏石艺术的乐趣。非常感谢友石轩赏石艺术工作室让我领略了这绝美和独特的中国观赏石珍品的魅力。
Rather than the beautiful fairytale, geologists have a different explanation for the stones’ formation. It is believed that rain flower pebbles were formed 12 million years ago. Natural agate contained in volcanic rocks around Nanjing were washed by the Yangtze River for millions of years and gradually developed into colourfully patterned pebbles.
在美妙的神话传说之外，地质学家对观赏石的形成有不同的解释。据称雨花石形成于约1200万年前，南京及周围含于火山岩的天然玛瑙经长江（又称扬子江，译者注）等河流几百万年的冲刷与洗礼，最终形成了这丰富多彩的有着天然图案与纹理的雨花石。
Rain flower pebbles abound in the conglomerate stratum at Rain Flower Terrace. This stratum is thought to have been formed between three and twelve million years ago. Around that time the ancient Yangtze River (and others) flowed through Nanjing carrying pieces of weathered rocks and minerals from its upper reaches and nearby mountains. Through water action, with rock rubbing on rock, different shaped pebbles were formed. They were deposited in the ancient river bed and formed a conglomerate stratum. Nanjing is situated at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and all kinds of pebbles gathered here to form the stratum. Due to movement in the Earth’s crust, this stratum was raised 50 to 60 metres higher, with most of it exposed on the earth’s surface, allowing the pebbles to be easily found. Other stratum (similarly formed) may lie buried deep underground elsewhere. A new conglomerate stratum has been discovered about 200 metres underground at Shanghai.
在南京雨花台的砾石层中有着丰富的雨花石，雨花台的砾石层约形成于300万年至1200万年前。那时的古扬子江和其他河流携带上游及附近山上的侵蚀岩和矿物碎块，通过水的作用与岩石的摩擦，形成不同形状的卵石，它们沉积于古河床并最终形成砾石层。南京位于扬子江的下游，各种卵石沉积于此形成的砾石层，由于地壳的运动，此砾石层在南京雨花台被抬升到50-60米高，其中很多卵石显露于地表面而易于被发现。其他类似形成的地层可能深埋于地下的其他地方，如在上海市200米深的地下发现有砾石层。
The Rain Flower Terrace occupies around 153 hectares, and is located in the south of Nanjing. The platform on which the Monk’s preaching took place became known as the Rain Flower Platform and later the name extended to the whole mound. This mound was about 60 metres high and 2 kilometres wide. The colourful pebbles found around the Rain Flower Terrace have therefore been called Rain Flower Pebbles, although normally that name is only applied to those pebbles that are considered worthy of appreciation and collection. In China they are referred to as Yuhuashi. The Rain Flower Terrace is a very beautiful spot that is rich in historical monuments as well as natural scenery. Rain flower pebbles have become an important symbol of Nanjing, forming part of its culture and tradition.
位于江苏省南京市南部的雨花台占地约153公顷，这座约60米高，2公里宽的高台因云光说法的故事而得名并闻名于世。在此台及附近发现的多彩的卵石而被称为雨花石。雨花石之名通常仅用于值得观赏和收藏的卵石，在中国，这些卵石被称为“Yuhuashi”。雨花台的美源于它丰富的历史内涵和美丽的自然风光。雨花石也因而成为南京重要的文化与传统的象征之一。
The pebbles have a remarkable array of different colours as well as a lively translucent appearance, meaning that they appear to transmit light yet are not transparent. They are considered to be a national treasure of China. The Nanjing Museum of Rain Flower Pebbles collects and researches these agate-like stones, one of which was taken to the 24th Seoul Olympic Games as the “Peace Lucky Stone” by the delegation of China. In 1990, 651 exquisite rain flower pebbles specially chosen from thousands of pebbles belonging to 200 collectors in Nanjing were exhibited in the China Modern History Museum and praised as pearls of the East. These picture stones have also been described as opals of the orient. While these descriptions are admirable, to my mind rain flower pebbles seem to be most closely aligned with agate. Chinese scholars agree, however China opal [component: SiO2+nH2O] also belongs to the rain flower pebble family. Sometimes called protein stone, this China opal has a different colour and appearance when compared with Australian opal.
雨花石有着亮丽的色彩组合与灵动的半透明外观，这种半透明是能透过部分光但不完全透明（实际上，雨花石中有着几乎完全透明的品种，译者注）。精品雨花石在中国被称为天然瑰宝。南京雨花石博物馆收藏和研究这些有着玛瑙外观的雨花石。 （1988年）雨花石曾被中国选为象征和平的幸运石送到第24届在韩国首尔举行的奥运会。1990年，从200位雨花石收藏者手中的几千枚雨花石中选出的651枚精品雨花石在中国历史博物馆展出并被誉为“东方之珠”。这些有着美丽图案的南京雨花石也被誉为东方的“欧泊”（Opal）。在这些令人称奇的描述中, 我个人认为雨花石的外观与玛瑙更为接近。中国学者也同意中国的欧泊(成份：SiO2 +nH2O，即二氧化硅的水合物，译者注)是雨花石大家庭中的一员，这些欧泊有时称为“蛋白石”。与澳大利亚的欧泊相比，这些中国欧泊（蛋白石）有着不同的色彩和外观。
Rain flower pebbles, or Yuhuashi are a curious combination of agate, opal, jasper, quartz, flint, etc. Those pebbles containing agate are called agate stones or Rain flower agate. They are the outstanding specimens amongst all rain flower pebbles. Given the wide assortment of these pebbles, their formation and chemical composition are varied and complicated. As far as the agate stones are concerned it is generally believed they came from primary agate formed by the remnants of magma. These remnants filled the small openings of basalt or rhyolite, and became agate balls or agate veins according to the shape of the opening. Up to this point we could be describing Queensland agate, except that now the primary agate material is separated from the basalt by natural forces and becomes agate stones through the action of flowing water (over a very long time).
因此，雨花石或“Yuhuashi”是玛瑙、欧泊、碧玉、石英或水晶、燧石（还应包括化石，译者注）等诸多石种卵石的集合，这些雨花石中属于玛瑙成分的称为玛瑙石或雨花玛瑙，它们是雨花石中代表性品种。广义而言的雨花石，其成因和化学成份是多变而复杂的。
至于玛瑙，通常被认为是来自于岩浆冷凝形成的原玛瑙。这些岩浆残留物充填于玄武岩或流纹岩不同形状的孔道，形成玛瑙球或玛瑙脉。至此，我们可以描述产于澳大利亚昆士兰州的玛瑙了，除了通过自然力的作用将原生玛瑙从玄武岩中分离外，还需流水的作用（经过长时间）使之变成玛瑙石。
Rain flower pebbles are visually striking stones with beautiful naturally occurring designs. They are reputed for the natural beauty of their vein and colour. The stones fall into two categories – monochrome, which is several variations and tints of the one colour, and multicoloured. Colouring is determined by the chemical composition of the minerals within the stone. Australian agate enthusiasts will know that primary agate is mostly silicon dioxide, with small traces of chemical compounds. The elements within these compounds have different colours – iron is red or yellow, copper is blue or green, manganese is purple or pink, and silicon dioxide is white or colourless. Various shades of colour appear in the veins depending on the quantity of the element present. It is the colour and veins of the pebbles that interplay to form an infinite variety of pictures and designs.
雨花石有着视觉冲击力是源于自然这双无形之手的设计，它们因为纹理和色彩的美而著称。（按颜色）主要分为单色和复色两大类。单色是颜色少有变化或单纯色调，复色取决于石头中矿物化学成份的变化。澳大利亚的玛瑙收藏家们知道原生玛瑙的主要成份是有着少量或痕量其他化学成份的二氧化硅，不同的元素有着不同的颜色—红或黄源于铁，蓝或绿源于铜，紫或粉色源于锰，而二氧化硅是白色或无色。纹理中各种浓淡或渐变的色彩取决于元素量的变化。石上色彩和纹理的相互作用使图案或意境有着无穷的变化。
Every stone is unique – a different picture or design, limited only by one’s imagination. FXVSAW’s display included a set of stones, each a representative picture of the four seasons. Nature is a common pictorial theme with images of the sun, moon, mountains, valleys and rivers visible on pebbles. One neat trick that is used when displaying these pebbles is sometimes to combine two or more individual stones to form one picture. One example I have seen is a 3-person family (6 stones), each person represented by two stones, the top stone being the head with detailed facial features (hair, eyes, smiling mouth) with the bottom stone being the body complete with appropriate clothing. Another example, which I photographed at the exhibition, was of an angry monkey and an owl. Can you recognize them in the photo? The variety is infinite and unfortunately any photographs that are published with this article will not do justice to the collection.
展览中的每颗石头都是唯一的——图案或图样都不同，限制只来自于你自已的想象力。石头城网站友石轩赏石艺术工作室的展示包括了组石——如每颗石代表每一个季节的“春夏秋冬”; 自然形象组石——汇集了太阳、月亮、高山、河谷。一种巧妙的特技被用于展示这些雨花石，例如有时将两颗或更多的雨花石组成一幅图案。例子之一是我看到一幅三口之家的图案（由6颗雨花石组成），每个人物由二颗石头组成：上部的石头是有着头发、眼睛、含笑嘴唇等细节的头部，下部的石头是穿着整洁服装的身体部分。另一个例子是我在展览中拍了照片的组石：是由一只生气的小猴和一只猫头鹰组成的，你能从照片中认出这两个小家伙来吗？（如果数量够多），图案的变化是无穷尽的，遗撼的是恐怕任何摄影者都无法充分用出版的文章来充分表现这些收藏。
Many readers may be familiar with the colour and beauty of agate, particularly those found around Agate Creek in far North Queensland. These originated about 150 million years ago (some earlier) and were associated with volcanic activity. Given that Queensland arguably has some of the best agates in the world, why my interest in these Chinese agate stones? Queensland agates (and probably most other agates around the world) get their beauty from within the stone – ie. the stones must be cut and polished, cabochon, tumbled, sliced, or even sometimes carved into cameos to reveal the inner beauty of the agate. Fossickers will know that most agates look more like a mouldy old potato when they are first found. Agates vary in size from a small bird egg to a football. When fossicking, the only time you may actually see the beautiful colouring is if you stumble upon a chip or broken piece, revealing the beauty within and allowing the piece to be easily spotted. Even then, these broken pieces still require cutting and polishing, etc.
许多读者熟悉玛瑙的色彩和美丽，特别是对发现于澳大利亚昆士兰州北部Agate Creek(玛瑙溪，类似于江苏 南京六合区的玛瑙涧，译者注)的玛瑙。这些玛瑙源于1亿五千万年前（有些甚至更早）的火山活动，有些被认为是世界上最好的玛瑙。为什么我的兴趣在中国的玛瑙呢？因为昆士兰玛瑙（或许包括世界上其他地方的玛瑙）的美在于内部。即这些玛瑙必须切开、倒角、切片、抛光 ，有的甚至雕刻成浮雕才能看到玛瑙内部的美。在澳洲找玛瑙的石友们知道，多数的澳大利亚玛瑙在最初发现时 ，其外表都像陈旧的老土豆。玛瑙球的尺寸从鸟卵大小到足球大小的都有，只有切开或切成片时，你才能看到它内部的美丽颜色，有时这些切片还需作需进一步的切割和抛光等加工。
Most rain flower pebbles are not cut, polished, tumbled, carved, or sliced. They are found with their beauty already revealed. If you only found rain flower pebbles, your gem club equipment would remain unused. The pebble surface has a high degree of lustre as it has been polished naturally by water action over millions of years. The stones are best presented for viewing by placing them in a small white bowl of water. When the pebbles are placed in clear water, tiny cavities on the surface are filled with the water molecules, producing deflected light that turns the natural colour mosaics into various pictures and patterns such as animals, plants, landscapes, celestial objects, and human figures.
多数的中国雨花石不需切割、抛光、雕刻或切片，在发现它们时，其美已被揭示无遗。如果你从澳大利亚去中国找雨花石，你将发现加工宝石的设备派不上用场，因为雨花石的表面已被自然界的水流经几百万年的作用变得光洁。观赏它们只须放在盛有水的白色瓷碗中即可。当石头放入水中后，表面细微的孔穴将被水分子充填，产生 均匀而柔和的折光，从而将天然的颜色与图案在你面前幻化，呈现出动物、植物、风景、人物 、仙境等的意境。
The stones are best appreciated individually or in small groups for their truly unique and aesthetic beauty. Lesser quality stones have been used in quantities in ornamental gardens and as aquarium stones.
为呈现雨花石真实的、独一无二的美学价值，最好采用独立或以小型组合的方式进行观赏。小部分的雨花石已被用于花园装饰和水族馆用石。
I have read that waterworn agate pebbles are found in alluvial gravels around the Beechworth area (Vic) and some streams of the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne. Perhaps readers with knowledge of these areas could comment on how this waterworn agate material compares with the Chinese rain flower pebbles? One can only speculate that if North Queensland’s Agate Creek (usually dry) were similar to the mighty Yangtze River, then Queensland may have had their own version of rain flower pebbles.
我已经在澳大利亚维多利亚州的Beechworth区和墨尔本附近的Dandenong山溪 的冲积砂砾层看到了水冲的玛瑙石。读者可能能够推断出这些区域的水冲玛瑙能够与中国的雨花石相类比？也能推测如果昆士兰北部的“玛瑙溪”（通常是干的）有类似于中国扬子江水量的话题，昆士兰州可能也会有昆士兰版的“雨花石”。
致谢：
1. 感谢友石轩赏石艺术工作室帮助提供相关信息。
2. 感谢罗切达尔区里迪玛学院提供展览场地。
参考文献：
1. 石头城网站
2. 雨花石珍品集，江苏古籍出版社/香港佳宾出版社，1989，南京/香港，中华人民共和国。
Acknowledgements:
- Thanks to Friendstone Xuan Viewing Stone Arts Workshop for assistance with information.
- Thanks to Redeemer College, Rochedale for providing the exhibition venue.
References:
- Stones City Website.
- Jiangshu Ancient Books Press/Hong Kong. Jiabin Press, Album Rain Flower Pebble Treasure, 1989. Nanjing/Hong Kong, P.R. China.
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