Produced from a tiny olive pit which measures only 3.4 centimeters in length and 1.6 centimeters in height, the carving is drawn from the work of the 11th century scholar, Su Tung-p'o. His two excursions by boat on the Yangtze River during the summer and autumn were the inspiration for his reflections on the majesty of nature and the fleeting mortality of man.
核舟身長 3.4 公分，高 1.6 公分，小小的橄欖核，被雕成一隻精緻的小舟，舟底還刻上「後赤壁賦」全文三百餘字，描述的就是壬戊年秋末十月，蘇東坡再遊赤壁的情景。