An oval stone with holes inside is on display at a village in Xiangyang City, Central China's Hubei Province. Local villager Xia Changjun found the basalt formation in a cave in April. (Photo/CFP)
A villager in Baokang County, Hubei province randomly uncovered a rare stone resembling a UFO, China News reported on Dec. 26. The stone was found in the mountains, and the villager refused to sell it, even for a very high price.
The stone is an irregular oval shape, weighing a total of 6 tons. It is 2.8 meters long, 2 meters wide and 1.6 meters high. It possesses columns along its lower half, which support the stone, along with pores in its middle part and a large platform above.
Wang Qingxiang, who has been doing research into Jing-Chu culture for over 20 years, could not say whether it is the uncanny workmanship of nature or of ancient people. Wang speculated that it is an ancient basalt altar, historically used for sacrifice or issuing orders.
"It is a treasure. I did not sell it, even when someone offered me 100,000 RMB ($14,379)," said the villager.
