Xiangya Carving
01 · Historical Records
Changzhou shallow ivory engraving first appeared in the Qing Dynasty, when some artisans of the liuqing (retained-green) bamboo carving tradition also engaged in creating shallow engravings on ivory. In the late Qing, Ma Zhihong of Changzhou (courtesy name Xiaoshan) inherited his family's business and established ivory shops in Changzhou and throughout the country, employing and training a large number of Changzhou-born ivory engraving technicians, all of whom became renowned masters of ivory engraving. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving thereby flourished and was passed down from generation to generation. The style of ivory engraving in its early period focused on using line to express the context of the works, with a pure, elevated and archaic quality; it later evolved gradually, making full use of the fine texture of ivory, emphasizing the combination of dots, lines and planes, and depicting on multiple levels — elaborate without being cloying, simple without being thin — with hooking, scraping and chiseling, varying in weight and pace, focusing on the mood of ink wash, infusing cultural qualities, and reflecting the aesthetics of the times, so that original masterpieces continually emerged. All commercial processing and sale of ivory and ivory products was fully halted on December 31, 2017.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Ivory shallow engraving, also called "ivory line engraving" or "flat engraving" and abbreviated as "ivory engraving," is an important component of the traditional ivory carving craft. The transmission of Changzhou shallow ivory engraving is concentrated in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province; it is a literati-style carving combined with the arts of painting and calligraphy, whose essence lies in the "engraving." Using flat metal knives and hook knives as tools, it makes incised-line carvings and scraping only millimeters deep on the surface of ivory objects, then uses a brush dipped in ink and pigments to fill and dye the recessed areas, thereby forming images. It is a traditional craft art that carries traditional culture and embodies the character of the Jiangnan region. Its works take human history, landscapes and flowers-and-birds, and famous paintings and calligraphies as their main subjects, and are accompanied by inscribed poems and colophons. The media for ivory engraving are mostly scholar's-desk treasures such as ivory brush pots, paperweights, seals, pendants, snuff bottles and table screens. Changzhou shallow ivory engraving shines together with China's traditional arts of painting and calligraphy, literature, scholar's objects and craft art, and together they form an important part of traditional Chinese culture, giving it very high social and cultural value.
Flat knife, hooked knife and tinting
Using flat and hooked metal knives, the carver cuts lines a millimetre deep, then tints the grooves with brush, ink and pigment to form a picture.
Supports for shallow carving
The carving is worked on brush pots, paperweights, seals, pendants, snuff bottles and table screens, with poems and inscriptions added.
Ma Zhihong and the Changzhou carvers
In the late Qing Ma Zhihong opened ivory shops across the country, employing and training a large corps of Changzhou carvers.
Evolution of style
An early linear, antique manner gave way to a manner exploiting ivory's fine grain through point-line-plane composition and ink-wash mood.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Its artistic characteristic lies in blending with the regional culture and humanistic spirit of Jiangnan and combining with the expressive forms of the arts of painting and calligraphy.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Xiangya Carving · Xiangya Carving.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Changzhou shallow ivory engraving has been passed down to the present day mainly through master-apprentice transmission. Cultural departments have actively guided the transformation of the ivory carving technique, taking concrete measures such as documenting national- and provincial-level representative inheritors, encouraging renowned craft masters to engage in the restoration of related artworks, guiding inheritors to use substitute materials to develop other ivory- and bone-carving techniques, and supporting non-profit social cultural organizations and industry associations in research, so as to ensure the protection and transmission of this project. Its works incorporate the creators' own insights and pursuit of beauty, and have high artistic value.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Sun Sen 01-0088
- Wang Shuwen 01-0089
- Chai Ciji 04-1776
- Li Chunke 04-1777
- Zhang Minhui 04-1778
- Xiao Jianbo
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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