Xiangshanbangchuantongjianzhu Building Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The Xiangshan Gang is an architectural school with a thousand-year heritage of transmission, reaching its zenith in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xiangshan in Suzhou, located on the shores of Taihu Lake, has a history of more than 2,500 years and is one of the birthplaces of Wu culture. The Xiangshan Gang is a group of architectural craftsmen geographically centered on Xukou Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City; led by carpenters, it integrates the classical building trades of masons, lacquerers, plasterers, sculptors, rockery (stacked-stone) builders, and painters. The Xiangshan Gang is a product of Wu culture; over history it has produced a number of great masters, such as Yang Huizhi, the Sage of Sculpture, Kuai Xiang, and Yao Chengzu. Kuai Xiang directed the construction of the three great halls of the Ming imperial palace, Tiananmen, and the princely mansions and offices of the six ministries; he invented and created the 'diamond leg,' and was praised by the Chenghua Emperor as 'Kuai Luban.' Yao Chengzu's surviving works include the Ouxiang (Lotus Fragrance) Pavilion in the Yi Garden, the Great Buddha Hall of Lingyan Mountain Temple, and the Plum Blossom Pavilion of Xiangxuehai; his greatest achievement was the completion of Yingzao Fayuan (Sources of Construction), a monograph recording the traditional techniques of the Xiangshan Gang, which the Chinese have praised as the 'treasury of Chinese Suzhou-style architecture.' World-renowned and exquisite buildings such as the Palace Museum in Beijing, Tiananmen, and the classical gardens of Suzhou were all built by craftsmen of the Xiangshan Gang of Suzhou, with Kuai Xiang, Yao Chengzu, and others as outstanding representatives; with these architectural works, the Xiangshan Gang left a glorious chapter in the history of Chinese architecture. Xiangshan Gang architecture is characterized by harmonious coloring, compact structure, fine workmanship, and ingenious layout.
The carpenter-led guild
Carpenters lead a guild of plasterers, lacquerers, sculptors, rockers and painters; coordinating the trades is as much the craft as executing them.
Kui Xiang, the master carpenter
Masters such as the sculptor Yang Huizhi, Kui Xiang and Yao Chengzu gave the guild its fame; Kui Xiang's work on the Ming palace made him the guild's patron saint.
Xiangshan and its long past
On the shore of Lake Tai, Xiangshan's twenty-five centuries and the resources of the lake country kept the trade of building alive there.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Xiangshan Gang is geographically centered on Xukou Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City; it is a product of Wu culture and over history produced great masters such as Yang Huizhi, the Sage of Sculpture, Kuai Xiang, and Yao Chengzu; Kuai Xiang directed the construction of the three great halls of the Ming imperial palace and was honored as 'Kuai Luban.' The Xiangshan Gang is a group of architectural craftsmen led by carpenters, integrating the classical building trades of masons, lacquerers, plasterers, sculptors, rockery builders, and painters. Suzhou Xiangshan Workshop Construction Investment and Development Co., Ltd. is the protection unit for the project.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Since the twentieth century, owing to the penetration of Western architectural culture, the Xiangshan Gang has gradually declined; although some vitality has been restored in recent years, it has still not escaped its endangered plight — artisans' incomes are low, the work is hard, and the traditional construction technique lacks successors. Protective measures must be taken promptly to ensure its orderly transmission. Xue Fuxin (related inheritor, official archive record): male, Han ethnicity, born in 1928, from Suzhou, Jiangsu. Representative inheritor of the Xiangshan Gang traditional architectural construction technique, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the first batch. Xue Fuxin worked in classical garden crafts for more than sixty years; he was especially skilled in the brick carving and clay sculpture of the Xiangshan Gang tradition, and also mastered the consummate feat of drawing dragons with both hands at once. He not only excelled in every kind of carving technique but also commanded a wide range of carving subjects, able to carve delicate, fresh, and vivid patterns on 'gold bricks' (grey bricks). Many gardens in Suzhou contain his works, such as the 'Zaoyao Gaoxiang' carved-brick gate tower in the Master-of-Nets Garden and the standing qilin clay sculpture in the Yuanxiang (Distant Fragrance) Hall of the Humble Administrator's Garden. As early as the 1990s, Xue Fuxin was invited to Japan to direct the design and construction of Minato Park in Nagasaki. While passing his skills on to his family, he also trained a group of technical personnel in traditional architecture. Lu Yaozu (related inheritor, official archive record): male, Han ethnicity, born in 1949, from Suzhou, Jiangsu. Representative inheritor of the Xiangshan Gang traditional architectural construction technique, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the first batch. In his youth, Lu Yaozu learned from his father the techniques of large timber framing and wood finishing in traditional architecture; he has now comprehensively and skillfully mastered woodworking techniques, as well as some traditional crafts on the verge of being lost. Beginning in the 1970s, Lu Yaozu successively undertook restoration projects on historical buildings, including the Tiger Hill Bonsai Garden, the first phase of North Pagoda Park, and the restoration of Cold Mountain Temple, earning unanimous recognition from society and experts alike. More recently he has also directed the construction of the 'Lan Su Garden' in the United States and the 'Mid-Lake Pavilion' in France, presenting foreign friends with the superb craft of Chinese classical woodworking. He actively trains technical workers in traditional architecture; the total now exceeds one hundred. He has also written technical appraisal standards for traditional architecture workers, thereby raising the overall technical capacity of workers in the field.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Xue Fuxin 01-0146
- Lu Yaozu 01-0147
- Xue Lingen 05-2740
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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