Brick Carving
01 · Historical Records
Guyuan brick carving is a form of traditional fine-art expression that evolved from Han dynasty pictorial stones, using chisels and planes to carve various forms and patterns on grey bricks; it is distributed in Guyuan City and other places at the northeastern foot of Mount Liupan in the south of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Guyuan brick carving originated in the Tang and Song dynasties and matured in the Ming and Qing dynasties; it is renowned for its fresh conception, rigorous composition, vivid forms and exquisite carving, and has been called 'a flower blooming on brick'.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Owing to differences in transmitting communities, craft styles and product uses, Guyuan brick carving is divided into Hui brick carving and Han brick carving. Hui brick carving is used mainly for Islamic gongbei shrines and mosques, and is transmitted and applied in Xinkai Village, Huoshizhai Township, Xiji County, Guyuan City, and among the surrounding Hui population. The Wei-family brick carving, current in Yuhe Village, Fengling Township, Longde County, Guyuan City, is the representative of Han brick carving; it has a long history, and according to the Longde County Gazetteer and the site of the Song dynasty Guangji Chan Temple south of the Longde county town, it was used mainly in the construction of temples and monasteries and government offices officially named by the imperial court. Guyuan brick carving draws its material from mountains and rivers, plants and trees, flying clouds and flowing water, flowers and birds, and archaistic treasures, while also employing traditional decorative patterns such as cloud motifs and rings of characters in combination, creating all manner of different works. The creative techniques of brick carving are divided into two kinds: 'moulded work' and 'carved work'. 'Moulded work' means first using prepared and processed clay, with the hands and moulds, to make blanks of patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, lions, birds and flowers, which are then fired in a kiln into finished products. 'Carved work' means carving single patterns with knives, chisels and other tools on already fired grey bricks, which are then pieced together into various picture formats. The principal craft processes of 'moulded work' and 'carved work' include selecting the clay, sifting, mixing the clay, making blanks, firing, polishing and carving. Brick-carving works are used mainly for the decoration of buildings, inlaid in the halls of timber-and-brick houses, on the front and side walls outside the principal rooms, and on the screen walls, barrier walls and gate towers of courtyards, symbolizing good fortune while also appearing handsome and dignified. Guyuan brick carving is simple and dignified, plain, durable and beautiful in its variety; in technique it excels in delicacy and refinement, combining realism and romanticism in its creative method, expressing the people's aspirations for and pursuit of a better life, and possessing both the interest of life and artistic value.
Hui and Han brick carving
Hui carving serves Islamic shrines and mosques, while the Wei family's Han carving served temples and government offices.
Modelled and cut work
One method moulds clay dragons, phoenixes and flowers for firing; the other carves finished bricks with knife and chisel.
From clay to carving
Both methods share the sequence of soil selection, sieving, puddling, moulding, firing, smoothing and carving.
Fourth-generation Wei carving
Bu Wenjun learned from his father-in-law in 1980 and, as fourth-generation heir, developed over a hundred products.
Ma Fengzhang's work
Learning from a Linxia craftsman in 1985, Ma Fengzhang's building teams worked on mosques across Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Owing to differences in transmitting communities, craft styles and product uses, Guyuan brick carving is divided into Hui brick carving and Han brick carving: Hui brick carving is used mainly for Islamic gongbei shrines and mosques, and is transmitted and applied in Xinkai Village, Huoshizhai Township, Xiji County, Guyuan City, and among the surrounding Hui population; the Wei-family brick carving, current in Yuhe Village, Fengling Township, Longde County, Guyuan City, is the representative of Han brick carving, and according to the Longde County Gazetteer and the site of the Song dynasty Guangji Chan Temple south of the Longde county town, it was used mainly in the construction of temples and monasteries and government offices officially named by the imperial court.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Linxia Brick Carving · Brick Carving.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Guyuan brick carving is represented by the transmission of the Wei family, whose lineage can be traced back to the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty. In the present age Guyuan brick carving is still applied to various buildings and continually produces new works; possessing socio-economic and practical value, it is favoured by the broad mass of the people and is renowned throughout the northwest. Ma Fengzhang (recorded in the official file of an associated inheritor): Male, of the Hui nationality, born in February 1966, a native of Guyuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. In 1985 he studied brick and stone carving with the Gansu Linxia artisan Bai Yuliang. Through many years of devoted practice and research, he mostly uses round or semi-round carving to bring out the main theme, with relief as a foil, drawing on the methods of expression of Chinese painting and employing various knife techniques, breaking through the limitations of building materials, so that his works are rigorously composed, vividly formed, exquisitely carved and of a distinctive style. The traditional architectural engineering team he organised has worked at mosques throughout Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. His representative works include 'Peacock Sporting with Peony', 'Sea Water Facing the Morning Sun', 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' and 'Welcoming Pine'. A representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage project Brick Carving (Guyuan brick carving). Bu Wenjun (recorded in the official file of an associated inheritor): Male, of the Han nationality, born in August 1957, a native of Longde County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. After marrying in 1980, he studied brick carving under his father-in-law. Having practised for more than thirty years, he has a masterly command of the brick-carving craft and is a fourth-generation transmitter of Wei-family brick carving. While inheriting the traditional brick-carving techniques, he has continually innovated, researching and developing more than a hundred kinds of architectural brick-carving products. His works combine round carving and relief, with compositions that are simple and bright, forms that are robust and grand, and carving that is fine and fully rounded. His product types include antique architectural ornaments, artistic display pieces and everyday articles. His works have been entered in many large exhibitions, and works such as 'Phoenix Facing the Morning Sun' have won awards. A representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage project Brick Carving (Guyuan brick carving). He has established a brick-carving transmission base; while doing a good job of transmission and preservation, he has also spurred local economic development, making it a characteristic industry of Guyuan City.
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)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。