Wang Zhaoqi

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wang Zhaoqi, Male, Han, from Dongcheng, Beijing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Furniture Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-45). The tradition is documented in Dongcheng, Beijing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Furniture Making Craftsmanship in Dongcheng, Beijing: The timbers used fall into two broad categories, hardwood and softwood, including zitan (red sandalwood), hongmu (rosewood), and nanmu. The Beijing small-ware woodcarving (xiaoqizuo) is a craft that flowed out of the imperial workshops (zaobanchu), taking root in the former Chongwen and Xuanwu districts; its court-artistic style roughly originated in the Liao and Jin dynasties, was established in the Yuan, achieved fruition in the Ming, and flourished in the Qing. Xiaoqizuo split off from architectural woodcarving and furniture making: its tools are smaller and it works with deft force, yet it produces refined display pieces such as screens, folding screens, display cabinets (duobaoge), and stands. Emperors and literati alike participated in the design of the objects, each imprinting their own aesthetic on the forms; this participation earned xiaoqizuo the alternative name of "literati woodcarving."

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Wang Zhaoqi is anchored in the documented technical standards of Furniture Making Craftsmanship in Dongcheng, Beijing. Within the documented technical tradition of Furniture Making Craftsmanship in Dongcheng, Beijing: The Beijing small-ware woodcarving technique is a traditional handcraft that arose under the influence of the court and literati tastes; it is one of the representatives of Beijing court woodcarving art, also called "xiaoqizuo" (small wares) or "qiaoqizuo" (ingenious wares). Flowing out of the royal imperial workshops, it spread with the former Chongwen District (now part of Dongcheng District) and Xuanwu District (now part of Xicheng District) of Beijing as its main production areas. The court-artistic style of Beijing xiaoqizuo woodcarving roughly originated in the Liao and Jin dynasties, was established in the Yuan, achieved fruition in the Ming, flourished in the Qing, and continues to develop in the contemporary era. Xiaoqizuo is a woodworking trade separated from architectural woodcarving and furniture making; it uses smaller tools and relies more on deft force in carving, and its vessel forms pursue ingenuity and exquisite beauty. The Beijing xiaoqizuo technique is used mainly to make small wooden objects, including screens, folding screens, display cabinets (duobaoge), and stands. Its production process is complex: the workflow for a flower stand used in jade and ivory carving alone includes design, material preparation, hollowing out, taking the wooden core, sketching the design, fretsawing, chiseling, inlaying silver wire, sanding, and wax burnishing. Carving is the principal craft of Beijing xiaoqizuo, and it includes six techniques. Round carving (yuandiao), i.e., fully three-dimensional carving; relief carving (fudiao), in which one or more layers of imagery are carved on a base panel; openwork carving (toudiao), also called "hollow carving"; intaglio carving (yindiao), in which the pattern is dug downward from the base plane; line engraving (xianke), a technique based primarily on lines; and inlay carving (qiandiao), in which mother-of-pearl, jade, jewelry, silver wire, and the like are inlaid into a base panel. Beijing xiaoqizuo production emphasizes operating according to trade rules, insisting on "chiseling first, scraping second, sanding third," with carpenters and carvers cooperating to complete the work together. The Beijing xiaoqizuo technique has distinct artistic characteristics; it is a combination of literati woodcarving and artisan woodcarving. Emperors and literati of the Ming and Qing dynasties all participated in the design of the woodcarving, blending their aesthetic pursuits into it and elevating the works into refined artworks of high taste; for this reason, Beijing xiaoqizuo is also called "literati woodcarving." Influenced by the court and literati tastes, the Beijing xiaoqizuo technique not only expresses the artisans' superb skill and masterful command of their craft, but also integrates literati understanding of and aesthetic pursuit in calligraphy, painting, and other arts; it carries profound cultural depth and is one of the representative characteristic crafts of the Beijing area. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Process Steps": Its production process is complex: the workflow for a flower stand used in jade and ivory carving alone includes design, material preparation, hollowing out, taking the wooden core, sketching the design, fretsawing, chiseling, inlaying silver wire, sanding, and wax burnishing.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Wang Zhaoqi was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Furniture Making Craftsmanship, with Dongcheng, Beijing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Furniture Making Craftsmanship in Dongcheng, Beijing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Dongcheng, Beijing as its declared area, and Beijing Gongyimuke 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. Wangzhaoqi (Dongcheng, Beijing) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Wangzhaoqi · China ICH Official Archive