Bai Yaohua
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Bai Yaohua, Male, Han, from Beihaishihepu, Guangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Gujiaodiao (Ⅶ-138). The tradition is documented in Beihaishihepu, Guangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Gujiaodiao in Beihaishihepu, Guangxi: Its products combine practical use with appreciation value, and are a famous export-earning category of Guangxi; they help promote local economic development, and play a positive role in promoting commercial exchange with ASEAN countries and countries along the Belt and Road. It has a long history: it flourished in the Ming dynasty and developed further in the Qing dynasty. Hepu horn carving has continued to the present through family and master-apprentice transmission; its clearly documented line of inheritance begins in the late Qing and early Republican period.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Bai Yaohua is anchored in the documented technical standards of Gujiaodiao in Beihaishihepu, Guangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Gujiaodiao in Beihaishihepu, Guangxi: Hepu horn carving is a traditional horn-and-bone carving practiced in Hepu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and its surrounding areas, using the horns of domesticated cattle and sheep as raw material and combining round carving, line carving, relief, openwork, and inlay techniques. The black and white buffalo horns produced in Hepu County are even in thickness and have a high utilization rate; after carving, grinding, and polishing they are warm, lustrous, and translucent, with subtle color gradations, making them ideal raw material for horn carving. Hepu horn carving is a highly representative traditional craft and fine-art variety native to Guangxi; with exquisitely delicate carving, lifelike and expressive effects, and an elegant, natural style, it occupies a unique place in Chinese carving art. It uses locally produced cattle and sheep horns as its main raw material, taking advantage of the way their hardness is tempered with toughness — supple when thin, transparent when very thin, bending without breaking, and smooth and lustrous like jade. Designs are made in accordance with each horn's natural form, grain, and color; absorbing the techniques of jade, ivory, and wood carving, it employs round carving, relief, openwork, inlay, and other methods to work according to the material and carve with meticulous care. The composition of Hepu horn carving draws on techniques from Chinese painting — the alternation of void and solid, well-judged density and spacing, and the union of meticulous and freehand expression — giving it strong artistic appeal. Its production process is complex, comprising more than a dozen steps, including material selection, cutting, rough shaping, fine carving, grinding, polishing, heat-forming, inlay, waxing, and assembly. Its works cover a wide range of subjects, distinguished by themes of ancient port culture, among which aquatic creatures such as shrimp, crabs, and fish are rendered most vividly. Hepu horn carving works come in several hundred varieties, falling into two broad categories: ornamental artworks such as river shrimp and stone crabs, autumn chrysanthemums with fluttering butterflies, and shrimp traps; and practical objects such as seals, hair buns, and cigarette holders. Representative works include the aquatic-themed screen "Chinese Dream" and the scholar's-desk object "Shrimp and Crab Brush Holder". Hepu horn carving has ancient origins and reflects the craft development of horn products from antiquity to the present; it is an important medium for understanding the level of horn-product craftsmanship, and also valuable material for the study of Hepu's folk customs and history. It synthesizes the achievements of multiple carving crafts, rich in both technical beauty and expressive charm; it has enriched and expanded the forms of expression of traditional Chinese carving art and possesses significant aesthetic value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Craft Steps": Its production process is complex, comprising more than a dozen steps, including material selection, cutting, rough shaping, fine carving, grinding, polishing, heat-forming, inlay, waxing, and assembly. "Black and white buffalo horn": Local black and white buffalo horn is even in thickness, takes a high proportion of use and polishes to a warm translucent shine. "Five carving modes": Round, line, relief, openwork and inlay all worked in household buffalo and goat horn, prized for the thinness its walls allow. "Ming heyday, Qing development": Flourishing in the Ming and developing in the Qing, it has passed within families and apprenticeships along a clearly dated line since the late Republic.
Archival Record of Craft Steps
Its production process is complex, comprising more than a dozen steps, including material selection, cutting, rough shaping, fine carving, grinding, polishing, heat-forming, inlay, waxing, and assembly.
Black and white buffalo horn
Local black and white buffalo horn is even in thickness, takes a high proportion of use and polishes to a warm translucent shine.
Five carving modes
Round, line, relief, openwork and inlay all worked in household buffalo and goat horn, prized for the thinness its walls allow.
Ming heyday, Qing development
Flourishing in the Ming and developing in the Qing, it has passed within families and apprenticeships along a clearly dated line since the late Republic.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Bai Yaohua was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Gujiaodiao, with Beihaishihepu, Guangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Gujiaodiao in Beihaishihepu, Guangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Beihaishihepu, Guangxi as its declared area, and Hepu Jin FuJiaoDiao Factory 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: it flourished in the Ming dynasty and developed further in the Qing dynasty. Hepu horn carving has continued to the present through family and master-apprentice transmission; its clearly documented line of inheritance begins in the late Qing and early Republican period.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bai Yaohua | Beihaishihepu, Guangxi | — | 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。