Li Yahua
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Li Yahua, Female, Han, from Xiamenshihuli, Fujian, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huian Stone Carving (Ⅶ-36). The tradition is documented in Xiamenshihuli, Fujian. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huian Stone Carving in Xiamenshihuli, Fujian: It is centered on Huli District, Xiamen City, and is also found in Kinmen, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. It has effectively promoted local employment and is of positive significance for achieving rural revitalization and inclusive economic and social development. Shadow carving developed gradually from the “needle black-and-white” technique invented by Li Zhou, a master of Hui'an stone carving in the Qing Dynasty. It has long been centered on Huli District, Xiamen City, and is also found in Kinmen, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia; early works were mainly figure portraits, hung indoors or inlaid as tombstone images, while today it is widely applied to architectural decoration, home decoration, and cultural and creative products. It is transmitted mainly through master-apprentice succession and oral instruction.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Li Yahua is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huian Stone Carving in Xiamenshihuli, Fujian. Within the documented technical tradition of Huian Stone Carving in Xiamenshihuli, Fujian: Shadow carving is a stone-carving art created by applying the principle of “removing black to leave white, forming images through light and shade” and integrating painting techniques; it developed gradually from the “needle black-and-white” technique invented by Li Zhou, a master of Hui'an stone carving in the Qing Dynasty. The creation of shadow carving relies entirely on a specially made alloy-steel chisel working on a polished Yuchang Lake bluestone slab, sawn to a thickness of 1.5 centimeters, or on a solid black stone slab. Through the process steps of sketching, drawing, preliminary carving, fine carving, and meticulous carving, the artisan pecks out tiny dots of differing size, depth, and density — dots forming lines, lines forming planes — until a complete work takes shape. In its production one must precisely control light and shade, gradation, and overall unity, repeating the same motion day after day; no error is allowed in the process. A work the size of an A4 sheet requires more than a hundred million pecks to complete. Shadow carving integrates the theory and philosophy of Chinese painting, using changes of black and white to achieve the subtle effects of “void and solidity giving birth to one another” and “knowing the white while keeping the black”; its works possess the charm of Chinese painting yet are as true to life and vivid as photographs. The carving technique is exquisite and delicate, at once carving and painting, displaying the classic skill and creativity of the southern school of stone carving. From dots to lines to planes, it pursues the instantaneous changes of light and shadow, creating a sense of three-dimensionality in plane micro-carving; it is a continuation and innovation of Chinese line art and occupies a unique place in the art of Chinese stone carving. Early shadow-carving works were mainly figure portraits, hung indoors or inlaid as tombstone images; in modern times the art is widely applied to architectural decoration, home decoration, and cultural and creative products. Shadow carving is transmitted mainly through master-apprentice succession and oral instruction. Shadow carving vividly portrays the life and cultural atmosphere of southern Fujian; it is a powerful testament to cultural confidence and cohesion, a bond linking Chinese communities in Fujian, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and of positive significance for the shaping of a shared Chinese cultural community. Its works combine carving and painting with delicacy and lifelikeness, advancing the development of stone carving toward greater artistry and integration into daily life, and bringing people refined spiritual enjoyment. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Records of Process Steps": The creation of shadow carving relies entirely on a specially made alloy-steel chisel working on a polished Yuchang Lake bluestone slab, sawn to a thickness of 1.5 centimeters, or on a solid black stone slab. Through the process steps of sketching, drawing, preliminary carving, fine carving, and meticulous carving, the artisan pecks out tiny dots of differing size, depth, and density — dots forming lines, lines forming planes — until a complete work takes shape.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The creation of shadow carving relies entirely on a specially made alloy-steel chisel working on a polished Yuchang Lake bluestone slab, sawn to a thickness of 1.5 centimeters, or on a solid black stone slab. Through the process steps of sketching, drawing, preliminary carving, fine carving, and meticulous carving, the artisan pecks out tiny dots of differing size, depth, and density — dots forming lines, lines forming planes — until a complete work takes shape.
Core Technique I
Shadow carving is a stone-carving art created by applying the principle of “removing black to leave white, forming images through light and shade” and integrating painting techniques;
Core Technique II
it developed gradually from the “needle black-and-white” technique invented by Li Zhou, a master of Hui'an stone carving in the Qing Dynasty.
Core Technique III
The creation of shadow carving relies entirely on a specially made alloy-steel chisel working on a polished Yuchang Lake bluestone slab, sawn to a thickness of 1.5 centimeters, or on a solid black stone slab.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Li Yahua was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huian Stone Carving, with Xiamenshihuli, Fujian as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huian Stone Carving in Xiamenshihuli, Fujian: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Xiamenshihuli, Fujian as its declared area, and Xiamen Huihe 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
Shadow carving developed gradually from the “needle black-and-white” technique invented by Li Zhou, a master of Hui'an stone carving in the Qing Dynasty. It has long been centered on Huli District, Xiamen City, and is also found in Kinmen, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia; early works were mainly figure portraits, hung indoors or inlaid as tombstone images, while today it is widely applied to architectural decoration, home decoration, and cultural and creative products. It is transmitted mainly through master-apprentice succession and oral instruction.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Jingmin | Huian, Fujian | 04-1783 | Other regional school |
| Li Yahua | Xiamenshihuli, Fujian | — | This page |
| Wu Deqiang | Huian, Fujian | — | Other regional school |
| Zhang Jiankui | Huian, Fujian | — | Other regional school |
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。