Brick Carving
01 · Historical Records
By the middle and late Qing dynasty, on average one small brick kiln existed for every four villages within Qingxu, and each kiln could fire the brick carving locally known as 'huahuo' (patterned goods). Early Ming dynasty brick carving inherited the style of the Qin and Han, being simple and bold, with much flat line incising, little variation in human figures, and relatively plain compositions. Although the Yaowangbao kiln in Qingxu persisted in firing, it was closed for various reasons in the autumn of 2002.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Qingxu County lies in the south of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province; the Fen and Xiao rivers pass through its territory, and the fine, rich soil they deposited is excellent material for firing brick carvings. Long before the Xia and Shang dynasties, the ancestors of Qingxu had already mastered the technique of pottery making. From the many temple bricks and tiles of the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties preserved in Qingxu, traces of carving can be seen, showing that the brick-carving technique of Qingxu, Shanxi, was already mature at that time. In the more than two hundred years from the late Ming to the early Qing dynasty, with the rise of the Shanxi merchants, the building of dwellings by the villages and communities of Qingxu became a widespread practice, and there was strong market demand for brick-carving craftworks such as ridge ornaments, screen walls, and flower-patterned walls, gates and gate towers. To this day, many Qingxu brick-carving works survive complete. The material used in Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving is of good quality and durable; its production technique is highly varied, with complex routines, fine draftsmanship and distinctive knife work. It gradually developed into its present artistic style: the lines are simple and vigorous, bold and unrestrained, giving an effect of childlike plainness, with works consisting mainly of relief and shallow round carving, using line incising for modelling, compositions lacking in perspective change, emphasising symmetry and rich in decorative interest. Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving has a strong atmosphere of folk culture; it is close to the lives of the common people, expressing in a plain and straightforward artistic language the people's concern for the value of life, their hope for family prosperity, their longing for a well-off life, and their pursuit of a certain social standing. The stylistic evolution of Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving reflects to a certain degree the development and change of Han culture, providing first-hand visual material for research in history and cultural studies. Within Qingxu, the lineage of transmission of the brick-carving technique is clear and orderly. After 1928, with the continual demolition of temples in Qingxu, the brick-carving market grew steadily weaker, and brick-kiln owners closed their kilns one after another. The transmission of Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving is obstructed and it is on the verge of extinction; if it is not rescued in time, it may well disappear completely in the short term.
Flower ware and small kilns
By the mid-to-late Qing one small kiln served every four villages, each firing the carved bricks locally called flower ware.
Ridges, screen walls and gatehouses
As Shanxi merchants prospered, demand grew for ridge ornaments, screen walls and ornamental gatehouses, many of which survive.
Linear modelling and symmetry
Spare, vigorous lines and a naive plainness mark the style, which relies on relief and shallow round carving with emphatic symmetry.
Temple brickwork through the dynasties
Pottery skills predate the Shang; carving marks on surviving Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan temple bricks show the craft already mature.
The 2002 kiln closure
The Yaowangbao kiln, which had kept firing, closed in the autumn of 2002, leaving the craft near extinction.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The transmission lineage of Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving is clear and orderly, with the technique being passed down mainly through the brick kilns and artisan families of places such as Yaowangbao. In the more than two hundred years from the late Ming to the early Qing dynasty, with the rise of the Shanxi merchants, the building of dwellings by the villages and communities of Qingxu became a widespread practice, and there was strong market demand for brick-carving craftworks such as ridge ornaments, screen walls, and flower-patterned walls, gates and gate towers. By the middle and late Qing dynasty, on average one small brick kiln existed for every four villages within Qingxu, and each kiln could fire the brick carving locally known as 'huahuo' (patterned goods).
Other submitting regions for the same item: Linxia Brick Carving · Brick Carving.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The stylistic evolution of Qingxu dwelling-house brick carving reflects to a certain degree the development and change of Han culture, providing first-hand visual material for research in history and cultural studies. After 1928, with the continual demolition of temples in Qingxu, the brick-carving market grew steadily weaker, and brick-kiln owners closed their kilns one after another; although the Yaowangbao kiln persisted in firing, it too was closed for various reasons in the autumn of 2002. The transmission of this technique is obstructed and on the verge of extinction; if it is not rescued in time, it may well disappear completely in the short term.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Mu Yonglu 05-2612
- Ma Fengzhang 05-2613
- Bowenjun 05-2614
- Shen Zhanwei
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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