Chinese miniatures reached their peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming artist Wang Shu-yuan carved a boat from a walnut shell 4 cm long by 2-plus cm high. The boat features vividly realized passengers with finely detailed clothing. The boat's structure is wonderfully detailed, and its hull even bears the poem "Ode to the Red Cliff" by Su Shi (1037-1101).
明清時期，毫芒工藝臻至顛峰，根據記載，明人王叔遠的「核舟記」，在 4cm 長、2cm 多高的核桃上雕作一艘船，船上乘客神態生動、衣著細緻，船體架構巨細靡遺，船底還刻有蘇軾的《赤壁賦》，製作之精巧可見一斑。