Length: 2 m Width: 1.4 m Height: 1.6 m

The gift was presented by the People’s Government of Jilin Province to celebrate Macao’s return to the People’s Republic of China. The work is carved out of purple linden, a famous wood produced in Changbai Mountain. The carving depicts two naive spotted deer of different sizes playing by the Lake of Heaven. The elegant larger deer and the smaller deer together look like father and son, symbolising that the Mainland (‘Big deer’ and ‘the Mainland’ are homonyms in Chinese) and Macao will develop together towards a bright future. The base is a root sculpture carved from precious wood found at the bank of the Songhua River, representing the deep roots of all Chinese nationalities to the motherland.

In order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wood as much as possible, the carver thoroughly considers the gloss, texture and structure of the wood before commencing the work. This woodcarving showcases a grand sense of artistry and a natural shape, serving as a fine representation of Chinese woodcarving techniques.