Quyang Stone Carving
01 · Historical Records
The transmission of the Quyang stone-carving trade relies mainly on master-to-apprentice teaching and lineage continuity. Lu Jinqiao learned his family tradition from childhood; his uncle was the renowned stone carver Liu Dongyuan, and Zhen Yancang also took Liu Dongyuan as his master. In the late Qing dynasty, works by Quyang carvers such as 'Crane' and 'Plum Blossoms on Dry Branches' won second prize at the Panama International Art Exposition, from which came the saying that 'the whole world praises Quyang stone carving'.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Quyang County is located in the western part of the North China Plain, at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, and holds rich deposits of marble. From the Western Han dynasty onward, Quyang stonemasons used marble to carve steles and monuments; by the Northern Wei dynasty, the Buddhist images and stone lions of Quyang stone carving already had a distinctive style, and in the Tang dynasty Quyang became the birthplace and carving centre of white-marble sculpture in northern China. By the Yuan dynasty, Quyang stone carving had already won wide fame, and a group of outstanding folk carvers emerged, including Yang Qiong, Wang Dao and Wang Hao. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Quyang stone-carving workmanship grew ever more refined; in the late Qing dynasty, works by Quyang carvers such as 'Crane' and 'Plum Blossoms on Dry Branches' won second prize at the Panama International Art Exposition, from which came the saying that 'the whole world praises Quyang stone carving'. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Quyang stone carvers successively took part in the carving work of Beijing's Ten Great Building Projects, including the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and the restoration of the Tiananmen Rostrum, as well as the construction of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall; in 1995, Quyang County was officially named 'Hometown of Carving in China' by the State Council. Quyang's carving craft has continued unbroken for a thousand years, and its fame spreads at home and abroad. With the expansion of Quyang carving materials from marble and jade to wood, ivory, bronze and stainless steel, its carving techniques also changed, giving rise to such categories of form as round carving, openwork relief carving, hollow relief carving and relief, with a great variety of techniques. The subject matter carved today is extremely broad: there are both traditional antique architectural ornaments and statues of modern figures; both garden sculpture and home decoration; both birds and beasts and fish and flowers; both giant works over a hundred metres long and exquisite pieces less than an inch long. Its carving craft is adept both at using special techniques such as rough-hewing (baohuang), polishing (baoguang) and facial finishing (kailian), and at fixing form by eye, adopting the 'upper refinement' (shangxi) process to achieve the standard that 'lines must be straight, faces must be flat, curves must be lively'. With the development of society and advances in technology, the traditional Quyang hand-carving craft has been continually impacted; techniques such as block cutting, hand rough-hewing, tool making and hand chisel-and-hammer work are on the verge of disappearing, and models are no longer made. In addition, to suit market demand, carving materials and carving types have been affected, and the production of Buddhist images has become ever rarer, which has also caused considerable damage to the preservation and transmission of traditional Quyang stone-carving skills. Measures must be formulated as soon as possible to rescue this ancient hand craft of Quyang stone carving.
Roughing out and finishing
The carvers excel at roughing out, polishing and finishing faces, sizing by eye and working fine detail to straight lines and flat planes.
Yuan-dynasty masters
By the Yuan dynasty the craft was famous, producing masters such as Yang Qiong, Wang Dao and Wang Hao.
Working on the capital's monuments
After 1949 Quyang carvers worked on the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and other capital projects.
From marble outward
As materials expanded from marble and jade to wood, ivory, bronze and steel, round, pierced, openwork and relief carving appeared.
Lu Jinqiao's masterpieces
His supple, finely wrought work has become a brand; The Reclining Beast Guanyin and others are national treasures.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The workshops and artisans of Quyang stone carving are spread throughout the county's townships and villages; in 1995, Quyang County was officially named 'Hometown of Carving in China' by the State Council. Lu Jinqiao neither draws designs nor makes models, relying on his broad artistic cultivation and wealth of experience to conceive works directly according to the shape of the material; in the trade this is called 'having the work inside one's belly'. Zhen Yancang carves with hammer and chisel, and the subject matter of his works often involves Western culture; his representative works include 'Moon Goddess', 'Pearl Maiden' and 'Noble Lady'.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The principal inheritors of Quyang stone carving today are Lu Jinqiao, Zhen Yancang and An Rongjie. Lu Jinqiao (recorded in the official file of an associated inheritor): A representative inheritor of the first national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage project Quyang stone carving; a master of Chinese arts and crafts. He learned his family tradition from childhood; his uncle was the renowned stone carver Liu Dongyuan. Through more than half a century of practice and exploration, Lu Jinqiao formed his own unique artistic and creative style. He neither drew designs nor made models, relying on his broad artistic cultivation and wealth of experience to conceive works according to the shape of the material. He could carve directly from any position a work of art that is vivid in image and complete in both form and spirit; in the trade this is called 'having the work inside one's belly'. He also remedied the stiffness and rigidity traditionally found in the drapery, ribbons, hair and manes of stone carving, enhancing the vitality of his works. His works employ a flexible and delicate technique of expression, combining image and spirit, with a simple and archaic elegance; 'Lu Jinqiao stone carving' has become a brand name, and works such as 'Guanyin Reclining on a Beast', 'The Three Ladies' and 'Samantabhadra Seated on a White Elephant' are all artistic treasures of national calibre. Male, of the Han nationality, born in 1927, died in 2009, a native of Quyang, Hebei. He trained a great many apprentices, who are distributed throughout the country. Zhen Yancang (recorded in the official file of an associated inheritor): Male, of the Han nationality, born in 1938, a native of Quyang, Hebei. Zhen Yancang took the renowned stone carver Liu Dongyuan as his master and carves with hammer and chisel, so practised that he handles them as naturally as if they were his own sense organs. The subject matter of his works often involves Western culture; his representative works include 'Moon Goddess', 'Pearl Maiden' and 'Noble Lady'. A representative inheritor of the first national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage project Quyang stone carving.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Lu Jinqiao 01-0095
- Zhen Yancang 01-0096
- Zhang Aiting 04-1781
- An Rongjie 04-1782
- Liu Tongbao 05-2607
- Liu Hongli 05-2608
- Wang Shuchang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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