Wood Carving

Ⅶ-58Traditional Fine ArtsPutian, FujianBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Putian wood carving began in the Tang dynasty, initially used for architectural decoration, Buddhist statues, and book printing; as early as the Tang dynasty Putian wood carving was already employed to decorate buildings. In the Song dynasty woodblock printing flourished in Putian, and printing workshops trained large numbers of skilled carvers, so that wood carving and block engraving nourished each other. In the Ming dynasty many master craftsmen of Buddhist statues and ornamental carving emerged, and in the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty there were already gilded openwork works presented as tribute.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Putian wood carving is the collective name for wood carving artworks produced within Putian City, Fujian Province; the materials are mainly longan wood, boxwood, sandalwood, and redwood. Putian wood carving has a history of nearly one thousand years. As early as the Tang dynasty it was already used to decorate buildings, and it was also used for Buddhist statues and book printing. The Song dynasty statue of Guan Yu, carved by the famed Putian artisan Ping Diao after a painting by Ma Yuan, is still kept in Wanshou Nunnery today. By the Ming dynasty many artisans in Putian excelled at Buddhist statues and ornamental carving; the wooden statue of Mazu in Puxi Tianfei Temple has not only fine facial expression but also hands and feet that can move up, down, left, and right, and it remains well preserved to this day. In the Qing dynasty Putian wood carving art developed further, and in the Qianlong era there were already gilded openwork works presented as tribute. The late Qing master Liao Mingsshan was skilled at carving figures, flowers, plants, insects, and fish from small pieces of wood; his grandson Liao Xi and four brothers were all famed carvers, and their works won multiple awards at the Panama World Exposition. Putian wood carving has beautiful forms and exquisite workmanship, and is world-renowned for its traditional techniques of three-dimensional round carving, fine detail carving, and triple openwork. Because of differences in material, longan wood carving, boxwood carving, sandalwood carving, and redwood carving each display their own stylistic characteristics; the works are mostly treasured by wealthy families and have attracted many overseas antique dealers to come and purchase them.

The flat carving after Ma Yuan's Guan Yu

A flat carving after the Song painter Ma Yuan's Guan Yu, still kept in Wanshou Nunnery, is key evidence for the early look of Putian woodcarving.

The Mazu image of Puxi Tianfei Temple

A Ming-period masterpiece whose face is finely expressed and whose hands and feet still move, it survives in good condition.

Round carving, minute carving and triple openwork

Putian woodcarving is celebrated above all for three-dimensional round carving, minute detailing and triple-layer openwork.

Liao Mingshan and the five Liao brothers

The late-Qing master Liao Mingshan carved figures and plants in tiny pieces; his five grandsons were all noted carvers and won awards at the Panama exposition.

Fang Wentao and She Guoping

Fang Wentao excels in figure and large Buddhist carving, while She Guoping made huge wooden images such as Shakyamuni and the Holy Guanyin for a Japanese temple.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Putian wood carving is mainly distributed in Putian's urban center (the old Xinghua prefectural city) and in townships such as Huangshi, Hanjiang, and Xianyou Bangtou. The materials are mainly longan, boxwood, sandalwood, and redwood, each lending its own stylistic characteristics; the works are mostly treasured by wealthy families and have attracted many overseas antique dealers to come and purchase them.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Fang Wentao (recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in February 1942, a native of Putian, Fujian Province. Master of Chinese arts and crafts. At the age of fifteen he entered the Putian No. 1 Arts and Crafts Factory, where he studied wood carving under the veteran artisans Huang Dangui and Liu Ronglin, and was later selected to study sculpture at the Xiamen Arts and Crafts School. He excels at figure wood carving and large-scale Buddhist statue carving. He has designed and created more than ten thousand wood carving, ivory carving, root carving, and Buddhist sculpture works, and has carefully passed the Putian wood carving technique on to the next generation. In 1996 he received the title of National Outstanding Professional and Technical Personnel in Arts and Crafts from the China National Light Industry Council. He is a representative inheritor of wood carving (Putian wood carving), a fourth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project. His representative works include "Blessings Descend Upon the World," "Surfing," "The Heaven and Earth Pass," the "Straits Goddess of Peace" series, "Forced onto Mount Liang," "Sleeping on Brushwood and Tasting Gall," and "Ferrying Across with Compassion," which have won national gold awards. She Guoping (recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in October 1949, a native of Putian, Fujian Province. Master of Chinese arts and crafts. His works show consummate skill, combining the spirit of traditional Chinese sculpture with the realistic style of the academic school, giving him a distinctive place in the field. He designed and produced large-scale wooden Buddhist statues for temples including the Muryokuji Temple on Sanpozan in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, such as "Sakyamuni Buddha," "Holy Guanyin," "Three Saints of the West," and "Nio Guardians." He is a representative inheritor of wood carving (Putian wood carving), a fourth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project.

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)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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