Wood Carving
01 · Historical Records
It has a long history: it took shape in the early years of the Kangxi reign and has been handed down for more than 300 years. It originated in Minling Lin village, Zhaqi township, Zhanang County, Shannan City, Tibet; it took shape over a long course of historical development and gradually spread by transmission to other villages of Zhanang County. According to legend, 300 years ago at the Hagang estate in the Yarlung River valley, the steward made a bet with a carpenter as to whether the carpenter could carve an animal so lifelike that the estate owner could not tell it from the real thing.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Tibetan Zhanang wood carving is a traditional carving technique of Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region. Zhanang means "within a gully of thorn trees, amid a forest of wild peach"; it lies in south-central Tibet, in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, on the southern slopes of the Gangdise Mountains. Zhanang County has a rich cultural foundation and a relatively developed national handicraft industry; since ancient times it has enjoyed the reputation of "home of pulu woolen cloth" and "land of wood carving," which has had a profound influence on the formation of its wood-carving culture. Tibetan Zhanang wood carving is also known as "louse carving" (shidiao). A carpenter carved a lifelike louse on a single grain of highland barley; the estate owner indeed mistook it for the real thing, was greatly delighted, and called the carpenter "Yalong Qunzai" — hence the name "louse carving." Tibetan Zhanang wood carving uses fine materials, is meticulously made, handsome and dignified, and comes in many varieties, with a wide range of applications; it is a brilliant gem among the traditional national handicrafts of Tibet. Its production process is complex; the main process steps are turning the wood, piercing with the chisel, carving, sanding flat, forming the shape, coloring and polishing. During carving, every cut of the knife and chisel, every pass of the plane and drill, bears on the success or failure of the work; not the slightest carelessness is permissible. In recent years the artisans have innovated in their products, extending wood carving into the decorative fields of house furnishing and Tibetan-style furniture; applications range from temples and monasteries down to pavilions, towers and village dwellings, and the craft has a certain influence in Shannan and throughout the whole autonomous region. It is renowned for its fine timber, distinctive carving and beautiful products, and has high artistic and aesthetic value.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Its production process is complex; the main process steps are turning the wood, piercing with the chisel, carving, sanding flat, forming the shape, coloring and polishing.
The louse-carving tale
A steward bet a carpenter could carve an animal the master could not tell from life; carved on a grain of barley, the louse deceived him, and he called the craftsman a master of art.
The seven carving stages
Turning, boring out, carving, sanding, forming, colouring and polishing — each stroke decides whether the piece succeeds, and colour and gloss bring out the grain.
Land of wool cloth and wood carving
Set on the middle Yarlung Tsangpo in south-central Tibet, Zannang has long been known for wool cloth and wood carving, a fertile ground for the craft.
Six generations in household workshops
Transmitted mainly in household workshops and now six generations deep, it has spread from temples and mansions to pavilions and village houses as decorative carving.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The development of related industries has a positive role in resolving local employment, raising the incomes of surrounding communities, and promoting local economic and social development. Tibetan Zhanang wood carving took Minling Lin village in Zhaqi township, Zhanang County, as its original birthplace; over more than 300 years it has gradually spread from Minling Lin to other villages of Zhanang County, and today it is used throughout Shannan and the whole of the Tibet Autonomous Region, renowned for its fine timber, distinctive carving and beautiful products.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Tibetan Zhanang wood carving is transmitted mainly through family workshops, and has now been passed down to the sixth generation. Tibetan Zhanang wood carving has been transmitted for several centuries and embodies the aesthetic taste and collective wisdom of the Tibetan people; it is of great significance for the study of the development of traditional Tibetan art.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yan Jingxin 03-1277
- Long Congfa 03-1278
- Tu Jie 04-1803
- Fang Wentao 04-1804
- She Guoping 04-1805
- Cengdeheng 04-1806
- Li Yanjun 05-2665
- Liu Jieming 05-2666
- Xiong Yinghua 05-2667
- Xu Rilong 05-2668
- Duan Sixing 05-2669
- Baimazhandui
- Zhang Hongping
- Zheng Chunhui
- Zheng Yinpin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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