Mu Yonglu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Third-generation transmitter of the Zhan school of Linxia brick carving. He received family transmission from childhood, and his line of transmission is clearly documented; he was influential in the region. Within the regional tradition and school record of Linxia Brick Carving in Linxia, Gansu: Linxia brick carving is transmitted in the area of Linxia County in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. Brick-carving ornaments excavated in the county from the brick-chamber tomb of Wang Ji, a junior officer of the Jin dynasty's Dading fifteenth year (1175), were made of clay-kiln grey bricks, from which it can be judged that Linxia brick carving originated in the Qin and Han dynasties. Han, Hui, Tibetan, Dongxiang, Salar, Bao'an and Tu peoples live together in the locality, and brick-carving subject matter combines natural scenery, social life and ethnic decorative patterns. The Ming and Qing dynasties were the flourishing period of Linxia brick carving; after 1949 it fell into neglect for a time, and in the past twenty years it has enjoyed a revival.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

In long practice of the craft he has fully inherited and carried forward the fine traditions of Linxia brick carving; his works are rigorously conceived, ingeniously laid out, elegant in style and enduring in charm. He has carved brick carvings for many famous buildings in various places; his representative works include the large brick carving Scenic Views of the Longyuan Plateau. For many years he has devoted himself to the transmission and development of the Zhan school of Linxia brick carving, taking the lead in founding the Hezhou Brick Carving Art Company and widely taking on disciples, several of whom have already completed their training. Within the documented technical tradition of Linxia Brick Carving in Linxia, Gansu: Linxia County, in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, lies in the central and southwestern part of Gansu Province; it has been the unavoidable route from the Central Plains to Qinghai, Tibet and Sichuan since ancient times, and forms part of the world-famous Silk Road. Here Han, Hui, Tibetan, Dongxiang, Salar, Bao'an and Tu peoples live together, forming a distinctive and richly colourful folk culture. Linxia brick carving is a traditional architectural decorative carving of Linxia County. Brick-carving ornaments excavated from the brick-chamber tomb of Wang Ji, a junior officer of the Jin dynasty's Dading fifteenth year (1175), in the county were made of clay-kiln grey bricks, from which it can be judged that Linxia brick carving in fact originated in the Qin and Han dynasties and was an extension of the folk wood-carving technique of the time. Brick-carving products are mainly used to decorate temples, shrines, monasteries and convents and the deep courtyards of dwellings, generally in such positions as inner courtyards, gable walls, screen walls, corridor heart walls, red steps, stairways, lower sills, pedestal heads, sumeru pedestals and roof ridges; carved subject matter falls into categories such as natural scenery, social life, and decorative patterns rich in ethnic character. In the course of its development, Linxia brick carving absorbed the methods of such carving arts as wood carving, stone carving and jade carving, while also attending to integrating the artistic forms of expression of traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, seals and poetry with the techniques of brick carving, forming a pluralistic artistic character that both preserves the plainness and simplicity presented by its distinctive material and displays diverse artistic features. The craft of Linxia brick carving is divided mainly into two kinds: modelled carving and incised carving. In modelled carving, various forms are first shaped in clay and then fired in a kiln; ridge beasts, fitted beasts and precious vases are mostly made in this way. In incised carving, a knife is used to carve on clay-kiln grey bricks; wall ornaments and steps in buildings are mostly made in this way. The technique of incised carving includes eight procedures: polishing, composition, carving, fine grinding, washing, numbering, joining and installation, and finishing. Its tools include folding rules, saws, planes, shovels, chisels and gravers, of which the shovels, chisels and gravers are further divided into several types — light and heavy, large and small, long and short, and narrow and broad, thick and thin in the blade edge — according to the requirements of the technique. Its carving techniques mainly include incised line carving, concave line carving, convex line carving, low relief, high relief, and openwork-style pierced relief. At present, the traditional brick-carving craft has lost its market; many practitioners lack the traditional brick-carving technique and basic artistic accomplishment; the craft of brick carving shows a serious 'generational break', and the modern production-line method of manufacture in separate segments will also lead to an inconsistency of style in brick-carving works, lacking individual expression and vivid spirit. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Modelled and cut carving": Modelled work shapes clay figures for kiln firing, while cut work carves fired grey bricks for wall panels and steps. "The eight stages": Cut carving runs through eight stages from grinding and layout to assembling and finishing, with chisels of many weights and widths. "Architectural placement": Pieces decorate temples and large residences, set into courtyards, gable walls, screen walls, steps, sills, plinths and ridges. "The Zhan school": Mu Yonglu has long carried on the Zhan school, founding a brick-carving company and training many pupils.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Male, Hui ethnic group, born in December 1952, died in April 2018, a native of Linxia City, Gansu Province. National representative bearer of Linxia Brick Carving, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

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. Mu Yonglu · National Representative Bearer Archive