Huisu
01 · Historical Records
According to records, lime sculpture already appeared in the Tang dynasty. In the Song dynasty lime sculpture came into general use: the Zhengguo Temple in Zengcheng, first built in the third year of the Qingyuan reign of the Southern Song (1197), already contained a lime-sculpture "dragon-boat ridge". During the Ming and Qing dynasties it became common to use lime sculpture to decorate ancestral halls, temples and the mansions of wealthy families.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Lime sculpture has a whole set of distinctive techniques. It uses lime as its main material and has the advantages of resisting acid, alkali and temperature, which makes it very well suited to the hot, humid climatic conditions of the Guangzhou area. In addition, lime sculpture requires no firing and can be carried out on site, giving it the flexibility and convenience of adapting to local conditions and working according to the material at hand. Guangzhou lime sculpture is used mainly to decorate door lintels and window frames, the tops of gable walls, eave tiles and roof ridges, and pavilions and memorial archways. In their work the craftsmen, in accordance with the geography and practical needs, skillfully leave decorative ventilation holes among the modelled scenes or patterns so as to lessen the impact of typhoons on the ridge ornaments. The material of lime sculpture is mainly lime, mixed with rice straw, paper fibre, glutinous-rice paste, brown-sugar water and the like to form a lime mortar, which is applied in layers for the ground, the modelling and the final surface. The modelled pieces are generally neither glazed nor fired; they harden gradually through the continuous carbonation of the lime in the air, so they can survive a hundred years of wind and rain with little deformation. Colour is applied directly on to the modelled surface, using mineral pigments mixed into the lime mortar.
Straw-reinforced and paper-reinforced lime
Straw-reinforced lime builds the mass, paper-reinforced lime the fine surface, and the two must be joined at the right moment of drying.
Ventilation holes in ridge work
Decorative holes are left between the modelled forms to relieve typhoon pressure on the ridge, a response to Guangzhou's hot, windy climate.
The dragon-boat ridge of Zhengguo Temple
Grey sculpture appeared by the Tang and was widespread by the Song; the Zhengguo Temple begun in 1197 has a dragon-boat ridge in the medium.
Lintels, gable walls and tile ridges
The medium covers lintels, window frames, gable tops, eaves and archways, and needs no firing, so it can be worked in situ.
Shao Chengcun's subjects and pupils
The inheritor Shao Chengcun works subjects from figures and flowers to beasts, landscapes and calligraphy, and has taken pupils since 1989.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Lime sculpture, commonly known as "huipi" (lime appliqué), is a traditional sculptural art popular in the Guangzhou area of Guangdong Province, distributed mainly in the urban districts of Guangzhou and the Zengcheng and Conghua areas. It has rich subjects, vivid forms and brilliant colours, showing distinct regional characteristics of Lingnan. Guangzhou lime sculpture is found mainly on the ancestral halls, temples and residences of the city proper and the Zengcheng and Conghua areas, and can also be seen on historic buildings in Huadu and Panyu. The usual locations are door lintels and window frames, the tops of gable walls, eave tiles and roof ridges, and pavilions and archways; in particular, a whole ridge ornament is made along the roof ridge, with figures, auspicious beasts, flowers and birds arrayed along it, receding layer by layer as one looks up from below.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, under the impact of modern civilisation the traditional building trade is in decline, and as a result the development of lime sculpture is also far from satisfactory; the relevant parties urgently need to devote resources to launching rescue and protection work as soon as possible. Shao Chengcun (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in May 1965, a native of Hua County, Guangdong Province. His works cover a wide range of subjects — figures, flowers and birds, insects and fish, auspicious beasts, landscapes and calligraphy — with fine modelling, a strong three-dimensional effect and rich colour. He began taking apprentices in 1989 and has spared no effort in teaching the lime-sculpture craft, ensuring that Guangzhou lime sculpture has successors. He is a representative inheritor of Lime Sculpture, an item of national-level intangible cultural heritage included in the fourth batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Gao Lamei 04-1747
- Shao Chengcun 04-1813
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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