Gujiaodiao
01 · Historical Records
It has a long history: it flourished in the Ming dynasty and developed further in the Qing dynasty. Hepu horn carving has continued to the present through family and master-apprentice transmission; its clearly documented line of inheritance begins in the late Qing and early Republican period.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hepu horn carving is a traditional horn-and-bone carving practiced in Hepu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and its surrounding areas, using the horns of domesticated cattle and sheep as raw material and combining round carving, line carving, relief, openwork, and inlay techniques. The black and white buffalo horns produced in Hepu County are even in thickness and have a high utilization rate; after carving, grinding, and polishing they are warm, lustrous, and translucent, with subtle color gradations, making them ideal raw material for horn carving. Hepu horn carving is a highly representative traditional craft and fine-art variety native to Guangxi; with exquisitely delicate carving, lifelike and expressive effects, and an elegant, natural style, it occupies a unique place in Chinese carving art. It uses locally produced cattle and sheep horns as its main raw material, taking advantage of the way their hardness is tempered with toughness — supple when thin, transparent when very thin, bending without breaking, and smooth and lustrous like jade. Designs are made in accordance with each horn's natural form, grain, and color; absorbing the techniques of jade, ivory, and wood carving, it employs round carving, relief, openwork, inlay, and other methods to work according to the material and carve with meticulous care. The composition of Hepu horn carving draws on techniques from Chinese painting — the alternation of void and solid, well-judged density and spacing, and the union of meticulous and freehand expression — giving it strong artistic appeal. Its production process is complex, comprising more than a dozen steps, including material selection, cutting, rough shaping, fine carving, grinding, polishing, heat-forming, inlay, waxing, and assembly. Its works cover a wide range of subjects, distinguished by themes of ancient port culture, among which aquatic creatures such as shrimp, crabs, and fish are rendered most vividly. Hepu horn carving works come in several hundred varieties, falling into two broad categories: ornamental artworks such as river shrimp and stone crabs, autumn chrysanthemums with fluttering butterflies, and shrimp traps; and practical objects such as seals, hair buns, and cigarette holders. Representative works include the aquatic-themed screen "Chinese Dream" and the scholar's-desk object "Shrimp and Crab Brush Holder". Hepu horn carving has ancient origins and reflects the craft development of horn products from antiquity to the present; it is an important medium for understanding the level of horn-product craftsmanship, and also valuable material for the study of Hepu's folk customs and history. It synthesizes the achievements of multiple carving crafts, rich in both technical beauty and expressive charm; it has enriched and expanded the forms of expression of traditional Chinese carving art and possesses significant aesthetic value.
Archival Record of Craft Steps
Its production process is complex, comprising more than a dozen steps, including material selection, cutting, rough shaping, fine carving, grinding, polishing, heat-forming, inlay, waxing, and assembly.
Black and white buffalo horn
Local black and white buffalo horn is even in thickness, takes a high proportion of use and polishes to a warm translucent shine.
Five carving modes
Round, line, relief, openwork and inlay all worked in household buffalo and goat horn, prized for the thinness its walls allow.
Ming heyday, Qing development
Flourishing in the Ming and developing in the Qing, it has passed within families and apprenticeships along a clearly dated line since the late Republic.
Reading the horn's nature
Hard yet resilient, soft when thin and bending without breaking, the horn lends itself to fine objects as well as large reliefs.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Its products combine practical use with appreciation value, and are a famous export-earning category of Guangxi; they help promote local economic development, and play a positive role in promoting commercial exchange with ASEAN countries and countries along the Belt and Road.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Hepu horn carving is a highly representative traditional craft and fine-art variety native to Guangxi; with exquisitely delicate carving, lifelike and expressive effects, and an elegant, natural style, it occupies a unique place in Chinese carving art. Its products combine practical use with appreciation value, and are a famous export-earning category of Guangxi; they help promote local economic development, and play a positive role in promoting commercial exchange with ASEAN countries and countries along the Belt and Road. Cattle and sheep horns are by-products of animal husbandry that were once largely discarded as waste; horn carving turns them into tradable craft commodities.
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)
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