Engraved Block Printing Technique
01 · Historical Records
From the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties down to the Republican era, Hangzhou carved-block printing remained highly developed. In 1957, the East China Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts established a woodcut water-printing factory, and Hangzhou's carved-block printing technique underwent a qualitative leap, becoming one of the four national woodblock water-printing bases of the time.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hangzhou carved-block printing is the technique of writing (or drawing) the text or image to be printed onto thin paper, then pasting it reverse-side-up onto the surface of a wooden block, and having the block carver engrave it into raised mirror-image characters, thus forming the printing block. When printing, ink is first brushed onto the block surface, then paper is laid over the block and brushed evenly with a clean brush; once the paper is lifted, the text and image on the block are clearly transferred onto the paper, completing one print. The whole process is roughly divided into three procedures — material selection, carving, and printing — comprising twenty-one techniques: soaking and steaming, taking the plank, planing and coating, smoothing the board, tracing the draft, fist-knife, split-knife, repeated-knife, clearing the ground, shaping, matching the draft, clamping the paper, registering the block, color mixing, dry printing, wet printing, brushing, burnishing, dusting, douban (separate-block), and gonghua (embossing). The printed products have long been renowned for "fine material selection, exquisite carving, and beautiful printing"; the later reproductions by famous water-printing masters were even called "just a notch below the original", and many excellent works survive to this day. Due to the development of modern printing technology and other reasons, the traditional Hangzhou carved-block printing technique now faces a crisis.
Tracing in reverse
The design is traced in reverse onto the block and cut in relief, so the carver works against the direction of the image.
Three programmes
Stocking, carving and printing in turn, with even inking and a clean brush over the laid sheet the finished image lifts clearly.
Alongside the Shizhuzhai watermarks
Hangzhou housed both carved-line and colour-watermark printing in the same streets, the two working by different principles.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hangzhou carved-block printing is the technique of writing (or drawing) the text or image to be printed onto thin paper, then pasting it reverse-side-up onto a wooden block surface, and having the block carver engrave it into raised mirror-image characters, thus forming the printing block; when printing, ink is first brushed onto the block surface, then paper is laid over it and brushed evenly with a clean brush, and once lifted the text and image are clearly transferred onto the paper. Hangzhou's block carvers were mostly concentrated in the book shops and ancestral halls of the Xihu District area; though sharing the same locale as Shizhuzhai's water-printing craft, they differed in their use of ink and color.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Engraved Block Printing Technique · Engraved Block Printing Technique · Engraved Block Printing Technique.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, only a few inheritors such as Huang Xiaojian still uphold the traditional carved-block printing. Protection and transmission work is urgently needed. Huang Xiaojian (per the official archive of the associated inheritor): male, Han, born May 1953, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. He is a representative inheritor of the carved-block printing craft (Hangzhou carved-block printing), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project of the fifth batch, and a Hangzhou carved-block printing technician. In 1985 the water-printing factory was dissolved and he transferred to work at the Xihu Art Garden of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. Aside from engaging in the management of cultural art products, he persisted in transmitting the craft, and to this day has carved and printed several thousand blocks. He successfully revived the long-lost douban–gonghua technique and applied it in his personal block-carving creations, making it a hallmark of his craft. Thanks to his superb craftsmanship and adherence to ancient methods, the water-printed letter papers and seal-impression albums made with traditional techniques are loved by calligraphers, painters, and collectors across the country. In 2006 he began openly taking apprentices from society and set up carved-block printing studios in museums and universities to transmit the craft.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Yishi 01-0191
- Huang Xiaojian 05-2774
- Xiawuta 05-2775
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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