Nie Xiwei

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Twentieth-generation transmitter of Nie Family Village clay sculpture. Within the regional tradition and school record of Clay Sculpture in Gaomi, Shandong: As an ancient folk craft, Niejiazhuang clay sculpture reflects local social conditions and customs in an artistic way and has become a precious historical and cultural heritage; it carries important reference value for research on Shandong regional culture and folk customs. Niejiazhuang clay sculpture of Jiangzhuang Town, Gaomi City, Shandong Province, is a variety of clay figurine complete in four respects—form, color, sound, and movement. It is said to have originated in the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty and has a history of more than four hundred years. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, artisans of Niejiazhuang built on the 'guozi hua' (pot fireworks) to create clay varieties such as clay dolls, birds, beasts, and fish, for use in folk activities, family display, and children's play.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in September 1938 in Gaomi, Shandong Province. He has devoted more than fifty years to clay sculpture. While inheriting traditional methods, he has steadily reinforced the 'form, colour, sound and movement' characteristics of Nie Family Village clay sculpture. He reformed the modelling method by adding cotton wadding to fine details such as the faces of his figures, making the images more delicate and full; his clay figures are archaic and exaggerated, bold and uninhibited, and value the expressive beauty of likeness in spirit. Within the documented technical tradition of Clay Sculpture in Gaomi, Shandong: During the Jiaqing reign, Niejiazhuang clay sculpture entered its mature period; the works produced had perfect images, excelling in both sound and color. The production process of Niejiazhuang clay sculpture consists of a dozen or so process steps. The finished pieces are bold and exaggerated in form, childlike, plain, and unaffected; the coloring is bright and striking, the expressions vivid and freehand; and the whole figurine can move and make sounds, giving it strong artistic appeal and vitality. Niejiazhuang clay sculpture originated in the 'guozi hua' of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty artisans created clay dolls, birds, beasts, fish, and other varieties on this basis, and during the Jiaqing reign it entered its mature period, forming a countenance complete in form, color, sound, and movement. In modeling, cotton wadding is added to fine details such as figures' faces, making the images more delicate and full; the finished pieces are bold and exaggerated in form, childlike, plain, and unaffected, with bright, striking coloring, and the whole figurine can move and make sounds. Nie Xiwei, a fourth-batch national-level representative inheritor, has been engaged in clay sculpture for more than fifty years; building on traditional techniques he has continually strengthened the above characteristics, and he passes on the essentials of the craft to his apprentices and enthusiasts without reserve. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Records of Process Steps": The production process of Niejiazhuang clay sculpture consists of a dozen or so process steps. The finished pieces are bold and exaggerated in form, childlike, plain, and unaffected; the coloring is bright and striking, the expressions vivid and freehand; and the whole figurine can move and make sounds, giving it strong artistic appeal and vitality.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a national representative bearer of clay sculpture (Nie Family Village clay sculpture), a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He has taught the essentials of the craft unreservedly to his apprentices and to enthusiasts, training a large number of new practitioners for the transmission of Nie Family Village clay sculpture.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Nie Xiwei · National Representative Bearer Archive