Xiao Jianbo
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Xiao Jianbo, Male, Han, from Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xiangya Carving (Ⅶ-27). The tradition is documented in Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiangya Carving in Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu: Its artistic characteristic lies in blending with the regional culture and humanistic spirit of Jiangnan and combining with the expressive forms of the arts of painting and calligraphy. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving first appeared in the Qing Dynasty, when some artisans of the liuqing (retained-green) bamboo carving tradition also engaged in creating shallow engravings on ivory. In the late Qing, Ma Zhihong of Changzhou (courtesy name Xiaoshan) inherited his family's business and established ivory shops in Changzhou and throughout the country, employing and training a large number of Changzhou-born ivory engraving technicians, all of whom became renowned masters of ivory engraving. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving thereby flourished and was passed down from generation to generation. The style of ivory engraving in its early period focused on using line to express the context of the works, with a pure, elevated and archaic quality; it later evolved gradually, making full use of the fine texture of ivory, emphasizing the combination of dots, lines and planes, and depicting on multiple levels — elaborate without being cloying, simple without being thin — with hooking, scraping and chiseling, varying in weight and pace, focusing on the mood of ink wash, infusing cultural qualities, and reflecting the aesthetics of the times, so that original masterpieces continually emerged. All commercial processing and sale of ivory and ivory products was fully halted on December 31, 2017.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Xiao Jianbo is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xiangya Carving in Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu. Within the documented technical tradition of Xiangya Carving in Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu: Ivory shallow engraving, also called "ivory line engraving" or "flat engraving" and abbreviated as "ivory engraving," is an important component of the traditional ivory carving craft. The transmission of Changzhou shallow ivory engraving is concentrated in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province; it is a literati-style carving combined with the arts of painting and calligraphy, whose essence lies in the "engraving." Using flat metal knives and hook knives as tools, it makes incised-line carvings and scraping only millimeters deep on the surface of ivory objects, then uses a brush dipped in ink and pigments to fill and dye the recessed areas, thereby forming images. It is a traditional craft art that carries traditional culture and embodies the character of the Jiangnan region. Its works take human history, landscapes and flowers-and-birds, and famous paintings and calligraphies as their main subjects, and are accompanied by inscribed poems and colophons. The media for ivory engraving are mostly scholar's-desk treasures such as ivory brush pots, paperweights, seals, pendants, snuff bottles and table screens. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving shines together with China's traditional arts of painting and calligraphy, literature, scholar's objects and craft art, and together they form an important part of traditional Chinese culture, giving it very high social and cultural value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Flat knife, hooked knife and tinting": Using flat and hooked metal knives, the carver cuts lines a millimetre deep, then tints the grooves with brush, ink and pigment to form a picture. "Supports for shallow carving": The carving is worked on brush pots, paperweights, seals, pendants, snuff bottles and table screens, with poems and inscriptions added. "Ma Zhihong and the Changzhou carvers": In the late Qing Ma Zhihong opened ivory shops across the country, employing and training a large corps of Changzhou carvers. "Evolution of style": An early linear, antique manner gave way to a manner exploiting ivory's fine grain through point-line-plane composition and ink-wash mood.
Flat knife, hooked knife and tinting
Using flat and hooked metal knives, the carver cuts lines a millimetre deep, then tints the grooves with brush, ink and pigment to form a picture.
Supports for shallow carving
The carving is worked on brush pots, paperweights, seals, pendants, snuff bottles and table screens, with poems and inscriptions added.
Ma Zhihong and the Changzhou carvers
In the late Qing Ma Zhihong opened ivory shops across the country, employing and training a large corps of Changzhou carvers.
Evolution of style
An early linear, antique manner gave way to a manner exploiting ivory's fine grain through point-line-plane composition and ink-wash mood.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Xiao Jianbo was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xiangya Carving, with Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xiangya Carving in Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu as its declared area, and Changzhou Jianboyake Art Pin Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Changzhou shallow ivory engraving first appeared in the Qing Dynasty, when some artisans of the liuqing (retained-green) bamboo carving tradition also engaged in creating shallow engravings on ivory. In the late Qing, Ma Zhihong of Changzhou (courtesy name Xiaoshan) inherited his family's business and established ivory shops in Changzhou and throughout the country, employing and training a large number of Changzhou-born ivory engraving technicians, all of whom became renowned masters of ivory engraving. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving thereby flourished and was passed down from generation to generation.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Sen | Chongwen, Beijing | 01-0088 | Other regional school |
| Wang Shuwen | Chongwen, Beijing | 01-0089 | Other regional school |
| Chai Ciji | Dongcheng, Beijing | 04-1776 | Other regional school |
| Li Chunke | Dongcheng, Beijing | 04-1777 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Minhui | Guangzhou, Guangdong | 04-1778 | Other regional school |
| Xiao Jianbo | Changzhoushiwujin, Jiangsu | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。