Wu Zhaoe
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wu Zhaoe, Female, Han, from Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Shuijing Carving (Ⅶ-134). The tradition is documented in Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shuijing Carving in Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu: It is widely transmitted, highly practicable, and yields notable economic benefits; it is an effective way to create local employment and is of positive significance for promoting local economic development and exploring paths for integrating culture and tourism. It has a long history: according to historical records, crystal was already mined in Donghai County more than 600 years ago, and during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty, crystal carvings had already appeared among the people.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wu Zhaoe is anchored in the documented technical standards of Shuijing Carving in Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu. Within the documented technical tradition of Shuijing Carving in Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu: Donghai crystal carving is a traditional handicraft that originated in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. Apart from being concentrated in Donghai County, Donghai crystal carving is now mainly found in Xinyi City and Pizhou City in the Xuzhou area of Jiangsu Province, Xishuguan in Suzhou, Xuyi County in Huai'an City, and nearby Linyi City, Linzi District, and Zichuan District in Zibo City, Shandong Province. Crystal was known in ancient times as 'water jade' (shuiyu) and 'water essence' (shuijing); it has distinctive colors because of the different trace elements it contains, and includes abundant solid, liquid, and gaseous inclusions. Donghai County, Jiangsu Province, is rich in crystal resources, and its reserves and quality rank first in the country, providing a guarantee of raw material for the transmission and innovation of Donghai crystal carving. On the basis of the texture, block size, form, and color of natural crystal, together with the inclusions and water cavities that other jades do not possess, Donghai crystal carving employs techniques such as cutting, grinding, polishing, drilling, and chiseling, and through artistic modes of exaggeration, figuration, abstraction, realism, and freehand expression works according to the material at hand, creating three-dimensional artistic images that can be seen and touched, thereby reflecting social life and expressing the artist's aesthetic feelings and ideals. Its main forms of carving include round carving, relief carving, openwork carving, line engraving, reverse carving, incised carving, and raised carving; commonly used carving techniques include revealing the form through the material's fine quality, breaking the block to reveal its fine quality, shaping form according to form, breaking the mass to reveal the shape, and revealing fine quality through color or through the body. Its craft process is complex, mainly including the steps of examining the material and designing, rough blocking, refining the block, smoothing, opening the face, drilling, polishing, and inlay. Donghai crystal carving products mainly include carved ornaments (figures, flowers, and birds), jewelry (necklaces, rings, prayer beads), snuff bottles (inside-painted bottles), decorative pictures, ornamental stones, and crystal balls—over 100 categories and more than 1,000 varieties. They are art treasures for cultural relic collection, display in halls, tourist souvenirs, and gifts for friends. Donghai crystal carving combines the traditional national style of 'delicacy in the south and grandeur in the north'; distinguished by its crystal transparency, it has rich and varied forms, exquisite and distinctive patterns, and consummate skill, and through modern and contemporary artistic means such as suggestive expression, homophonic borrowing, and inlay ornamentation it is continually recreated, strongly marked by the artistic character of the times. Donghai crystal carving merges independent innovation with original innovation, adopting modern and contemporary artistic means to form a unique artistic style. It is a living cultural creative activity and an important component of China's outstanding traditional culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Records of Process Steps": Its craft process is complex, mainly including the steps of examining the material and designing, rough blocking, refining the block, smoothing, opening the face, drilling, polishing, and inlay.
Archival Records of Process Steps
Its craft process is complex, mainly including the steps of examining the material and designing, rough blocking, refining the block, smoothing, opening the face, drilling, polishing, and inlay.
Core Technique I
Donghai crystal carving is a traditional handicraft that originated in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province.
Core Technique II
Apart from being concentrated in Donghai County, Donghai crystal carving is now mainly found in Xinyi City and Pizhou City in the Xuzhou area of Jiangsu Province, Xishuguan in Suzhou, Xuyi County in Huai'an City, and nearby Linyi City, Linzi District, and Zichuan District in Zibo City, Shandong Province.
Core Technique III
Crystal was known in ancient times as 'water jade' (shuiyu) and 'water essence' (shuijing);
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wu Zhaoe was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Shuijing Carving, with Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Shuijing Carving in Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Lianyungangshidonghai, Jiangsu as its declared area, and Jiangsu Shui Jing Culture Research Society 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
It has a long history: according to historical records, crystal was already mined in Donghai County more than 600 years ago, and during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty, crystal carvings had already appeared among the people.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wu Zhaoe | Lianyungangshidonghai, 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。