China's largest Ding, a stone tripod, made its debut on Monday in eastern China's Shandong province.

The tripod, at the Mengshan Mountain scenic spot in Pingyi County, was made from pure black marble. The 9.99-metre-high vessel weighs about 600 tons. It was called "Fu Shou Kang Ning" in Chinese, which means "good fortune, longevity, health and peace". Nine hundred and ninety nine Chinese characters of "Shou", meaning longevity, are carved on the body of the vessel.

In Chinese, Ding is a three or four-legged round or square cooking vessel created in ancient China.

(CRI.cn September 13, 2007)