In Chinese mythology, Jia Baoyu was born with a piece of jade in his mouth—a transformation of the solitary stone left behind when Nüwa mended the heavens—giving rise to the emotion-filled world of Grand View Garden in the literary masterpiece The Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber). While Eastern culture envisions jade and natural stone as sentient vessels that absorb the essence of heaven and earth to connect with human consciousness, Western literature shares a striking resonance in William Blake's (1757–1827) famous lines: "To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour." This poetic sentiment perfectly encapsulates the lifelong creative journey of Cynthia Sah, an internationally acclaimed stone sculptor collaborating with CHENHOW MARBLE. Chiseling her own personal "Story of the Stone," her hands have accumulated countless precious moments, channeling an inner creative drive to capture transient inspirations and bestow eternal life upon natural stone.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Japan and Taiwan, Cynthia Sah earned her master's degrees in psychology and art education from Columbia University in the United States, after which her life took an extraordinary turn when she traveled to Italy to study sculpture. "It was practically love at first sight!" Even after over forty years in stone sculpting, Sah speaks of her late 1970s self—just taking her first steps into stone carving—with sparkling eyes and the radiant delight of a child who has just been given a piece of chocolate. Perhaps it is this enduring child-like wonder that enables Sah to nourish her creative passion every day, ensuring that even as her technique has reached perfection, her original intention remains untouched: "Polishing isn't just grinding; it requires feeling with your hands. While sculptors use various machinery when carving marble, ultimately everything must be verified by touch."

As a globally acclaimed stone sculptor, Cynthia Sah surprisingly still feels that "every block of stone that comes to me arrives to present a new challenge." Mindful, vigilant, and humble, holding deep reverence for nature and the divine spirit of art, she continually asks herself: "Will this piece succeed? Natural stone inevitably harbors hidden fissures—will issues arise once we cut into it? These are all unknowns, and even we are surprised by the final outcome!" Sah discovered that the Tiffany quartzite possesses a higher hardness than the Italian marble she is accustomed to: "This is my first time working with such a luxury stone, and I hope for a wonderful result." Sah observes that her own personality closely mirrors marble: firm yet smooth. Gazing quietly at her sculptures, one senses a gentle soul emanating from deep within the stone. This stems from her spiritual kinship with ancient sages who viewed stone as a living, sentient entity: every time she carves, it feels like meeting a new friend, "and our process together is a continuous dialogue." The interaction resembles a tango or a duet between two instruments. "Every endeavor is an experiment and a challenge; creation is a process of give and take. We are constantly exploring and learning every day. Just like building a relationship with a friend, an artist's temperament must adapt upon encountering the stone's distinct character—sometimes yielding to its natural inclination, and at other times asserting control to highlight its unique essence." Well past her seventies, Cynthia Sah, her words, and her art radiate smooth, mature lines without a trace of cynicism. Speaking at a measured pace, she remains remarkably devoid of grandiosity despite her revered status in the art world. With unpretentious humility, she speaks simply as an avid lover of stone. Standing within the CHENHOW Stone Museum, her brilliant eyes rest upon every slab; she gently touches the surfaces with her palms, smiling warmly for photographs. In the presence of nature's masterworks, this international sculpting master transforms into a captivated fan. This holds the secret to how she has persevered as one of the very few prominent female artists in this demanding field: never forgetting her original intent, and continually returning to baseline.

Cynthia Sah has lived in Italy for many years, creating alongside her lifelong partner and creative collaborator, Nicolas Bertoux, in the town of Seravezza near the Carrara mountains. Ever since winning the First Prize at the ROC Modern Sculpture Exhibition in 1991, her works have been acquired by major institutions such as the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, as well as awarded and collected in Azuchi and Utsunomiya in Japan, the National Sculpture Park in Denmark, and Venice. In recent years, joint creations by Sah and Nicolas Bertoux have been commissioned and collected by prominent hotels, luxury residences, and landmark developments across Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau, securing a firm standing on the global public art stage.

Cynthia Sah's sculptures rarely feature completely pristine, hyper-polished surfaces; instead, she takes delight in preserving the natural veins and raw textures of the stone. "Some clients might initially view these as imperfections, but we offer a simple answer: this is nature!" She likens this approach to introducing a close friend: "Nature bestows these extraordinary creations upon us, shaped over millions of years. It is only natural for cracks or blemishes to exist—that is its unique character, and we must embrace it in its entirety." With a gentle smile, she articulates in her distinct tone: if someone desires nothing short of "flawless perfection," they might as well purchase a man-made object. Sah gestures animatedly with her hands, as if back in her studio: "Some of our pieces feature tiny porous pits, which are completely natural products of marble crystallization. These textured variations might make it look like an unfinished effort to some, but this is pure nature. Our goal is to let its authentic personality shine through."
 

She resembles a student on a field trip, her eyes wide with wonder as she browses CHENHOW's curated collection of stone slabs. "CHENHOW's selections are extraordinary—standing them upright panel by panel reveals such breathtaking beauty. I believe many people, like myself, wish to bring these masterworks of nature into public spaces or private homes." She observes that when these pieces enter hotels, lobbies, or residential environments, they become finished statements crafted through the keen selection of architects and interior designers, naturally serving as a silent form of aesthetic education.