Zhang Tiecheng

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhang Tiecheng, Male, Han, from Yuqichang, Beijing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Jade Carving (Ⅶ-57). The tradition is documented in Yuqichang, Beijing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Jade Carving in Yuqichang, Beijing: The production and transmission of Beijing jade carving were long concentrated in the jade factories and arts-and-crafts academies of the Chongwen and Xuanwu districts (today's Dongcheng and Xicheng districts). The Beijing Jade Factory was the core unit, at one point in the mid-20th century employing several thousand people; after the 1980s, activity expanded to Tongzhou, Changping and other districts. It rose to prominence in the Yuan dynasty, with the Quanzhen Taoist priest Qiu Chuji as its founding master. In the Ming dynasty, the Yuyongjian (Directorate for Imperial Use) of the imperial household maintained a jade workshop (yuzuo) that gathered the finest jade carvers from across the country, and Beijing's court jade-carving industry thereby entered a flourishing phase. In the Qing dynasty, jade appreciation became fashionable in Beijing, and jade-carving technique reached a historical peak. Since the 1980s, owing to funding shortages and a break in the line of trained talent, the distinctive varieties and techniques of Beijing jade carving have steadily been lost, making rescue and protection a matter of urgency.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhang Tiecheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Jade Carving in Yuqichang, Beijing. Within the documented technical tradition of Jade Carving in Yuqichang, Beijing: Beijing jade carving, also known as “Beijing jadeware”, is a jade-carving technique passed down in Beijing. After 1911, Beijing's private jade-carving trade grew increasingly prosperous, producing celebrated master craftsmen of outstanding talent and astonishing skill — Pan Bingheng, Liu Deying, He Rong, Wang Shusen and others — who carried Beijing jade carving into an entirely new historical stage. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Beijing's jade-carving industry developed rapidly, at one point reaching a scale of several thousand practitioners, with talent gathered in abundance and techniques vying in novelty. Four jadeite national treasures made in this period — “The Marvelous Landscape of Mount Tai”, “Fragrance Gathered in Rare Splendor”, “Rejoicing Across the Four Seas” and “A Gathering of the Finest Flowers” — wrought with consummate craftsmanship and exquisite detail, displayed the highest artistic standards and received commendation from the State Council. Beijing jade carving has long enjoyed a reputation for “fine workmanship and solid material”. Inheriting the technical tradition of the court jade workshops, it uses choice materials, is finely made, covers a complete range of categories, and can produce vessels, figures, flowers, birds and beasts, bonsai, jewelry and many other articles. The techniques of Beijing jade carving include many steps such as assessing the material, cleaning the material, cutting the material, designing, grinding and polishing. Its forms are vigorous and weighty, dignified and elegant; its ornamentation is exquisite and delicate, bright yet plain, reflecting a superb level of craftsmanship. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The four jadeite national treasures": Four jadeite masterpieces — Mount Tai, Gathering Fragrance, Four Seas Rejoicing and Flowers of All Seasons — were commended by the State Council. "Pan Bingheng, Liu Deying, He Rong and Wang Shusen": After 1911 the city's private jade trade flourished, producing famous masters such as Pan Bingheng, Liu Deying, He Rong and Wang Shusen. "Reading, cleaning, sawing, designing, grinding and polishing": The sequence covers reading the stone, cleaning, sawing, designing, grinding and polishing, producing vessels, figures, flowers, birds, beasts, bonsai and jewellery. "The court jade workshop and Qiu Chuji": The craft arose under the Yuan with the Quanzhen Daoist Qiu Chuji as its reputed founder; the Ming court jade workshop gathered masters from across the empire.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhang Tiecheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Jade Carving, with Yuqichang, Beijing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Jade Carving in Yuqichang, Beijing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Yuqichang, Beijing as its declared area, and Beijing Yuqi Factory 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

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. Zhangtiecheng (Yuqichang, Beijing) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhangtiecheng · China ICH Official Archive