Huian Stone Carving
01 · Historical Records
The craft of Hui'an stone carving originates in the Central Plains culture of the Yellow River basin; in the course of its formation it also absorbed the ancient Min-Yue culture and foreign cultures introduced along the 'Maritime Silk Road'. Growing together with the art of architecture, it gradually formed a unique artistic style, with famous masters emerging in every dynasty; records of lineage transmission exist from the Southern Song dynasty onward, and it has many schools.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hui'an stone carving is a traditional carving art that uses hard bluestone as its principal material; it is mainly transmitted in Hui'an County in the Quanzhou area of Fujian Province, and its products are mostly used for architectural decoration. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the craft of Hui'an stone carving was already highly developed, and after the end of the Ming dynasty it grew still more mature, becoming a representative of the southern school of stone carving. Hui'an stone carving has five major categories: stele processing, environmental and garden sculpture, architectural components, craft carving and utilitarian vessels; its principal techniques are round carving, relief carving, line carving, sunk carving and shadow carving (yingdiao). Hui'an stone carving has a strong national character and a marked quality of its age; as a representative of the southern school of stone carving, it spread overseas relatively early and is highly esteemed in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Within China, it is equally famous with Quyang stone carving, and the saying 'in the south there is Hui'an, in the north there is Quyang' is widespread in stone-carving circles. At present, the older generation of Hui'an stone-carving artisans has gradually retired, while with advances in technology the precious traditional hand-carving craft is day by day being replaced by mechanisation. The traditional technique is transmitted between master and apprentice or within families by oral instruction and mental absorption, and is largely closed off; apprentices in modern factories find it hard truly to learn the essence of the traditional stone-carving craft, and so the whole stone-carving industry suffers from a shortage of successors. Coupled with problems such as the generally low level of education among carvers and the insufficient financial investment in the static preservation and theoretical study of the traditional stone-carving craft, which has not been fully carried out, the traditional skill of Hui'an stone carving is increasingly falling into an endangered state and urgently needs support and rescue.
Five product lines
Its output falls into five lines, from stele work and garden sculpture to architectural members and vessels, in five carving techniques.
South Hui'an, north Quyang
As the representative of southern stone carving, Hui'an is paired in saying with Quyang in the north and spread early to Southeast Asia.
Lineage since the Southern Song
Rooted in Central Plains culture and enriched by Minyue and maritime trade influences, the craft has recorded lineages since the Southern Song.
Shadow carving
One of the five techniques, shadow carving builds images from myriads of punched dots on polished bluestone.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hui'an stone carving uses hard bluestone as its principal material, and its products are mostly used for architectural decoration; it has five major categories: stele processing, environmental and garden sculpture, architectural components, craft carving and utilitarian vessels, and its principal techniques are round carving, relief carving, line carving, sunk carving and shadow carving. It is equally famous with Quyang stone carving, and the saying 'in the south there is Hui'an, in the north there is Quyang' is widespread in stone-carving circles. Wang Jingmin founded his company in 2003 and has since designed more than 230 stone-carving projects; his representative works include 'Arhat Subduing the Tiger', 'Buddha in the Heart' and 'Havoc in Heaven'.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Huian Stone Carving.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Wang Jingmin (recorded in the official file of an associated inheritor): Male, of the Han nationality, born in February 1967, a native of Hui'an County, Fujian Province. A master of Chinese arts and crafts; president of the second session of the Hui'an Carving Art Research Association. He has a comprehensive command of all the techniques of stone carving and is able to combine traditional skills with elements of modern art, creating works that are both individual and highly distinctive according to the characteristics of the stone and the environment and space; his technique is superb. He founded his company in 2003 and has since designed more than 230 stone-carving projects. His representative works include 'Arhat Subduing the Tiger', 'Buddha in the Heart' and 'Havoc in Heaven'. A representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage project Hui'an stone carving.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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