Yangzhou jade carving

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Yangzhou jade carving

Applicant: Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Project No.: 327

Project No.: Ⅶ - 28

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Protection unit: Yangzhou Jade Factory Co., Ltd

Introduction to Yangzhou jade carving

Applicant: Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Yangzhou is the main production area of jade in China, and the jade carving technology has a long history. Jade huang, jade tube and other objects have been unearthed from the Neolithic site of Longqiu in the east of Jianghuai river. Many jades have been unearthed from the tombs of Han Dynasty in Yangzhou. They are of various types and beautiful shapes. They have been carved with openwork, Yin line and low relief. Yangzhou jade craft reached a new peak in the Tang Dynasty, and the carving and slitting techniques appeared in Yangzhou jade carving in the Song Dynasty, which laid the foundation for the formation of later characteristic techniques. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou jade carving entered its heyday. The salt administration of Huaihe River and Huaihe River set up a jade Bureau in Jianlong Temple of Yangzhou, which undertook a large number of palace jade wares and paid tribute to the imperial court according to the age. After 1840, the jade carving industry in Yangzhou declined year by year. Yangzhou jade industry moved to Shanghai, Hong Kong and other places. Most of those who stayed in Yangzhou were engaged in the carving of plane jade pieces, while others changed careers. In the 1950s, Yangzhou jade factory was established, and Yangzhou jade carving skills were inherited again.

Jade is hard and meticulous in texture, with a hardness of 4 to 8 degrees. Manual carving technology is more complex, and its technological characteristics are carving, namely "carving jade" and "grinding jade". The jade materials used in Yangzhou jade carving include white jade, sapphire and jasper from Xinjiang, Xiuyu, agate and Topaz from Liaoning, crystal from Jiangsu, lvmiao and songer from Hubei, southern jade from Guangdong, jadeite from Brazil, jadeite from Myanmar, Turquoise from Afghanistan, jasper from Canada and coral from Japan, etc Color, the shade line carving, relief, three-dimensional round carving and hollow carving and other techniques into one, forming a thick, mellow, elegant, smart, delicate features, with beautiful and elegant, exquisite artistic style. Yangzhou jade carvings in the past dynasties have retained the artistic features of different periods. For example, white jade cicada in the Western Han Dynasty was carved from Hetian jade, using the technique of "eight carvings in the Han Dynasty", with concise and straight lines and excellent skills. Dayu river control in the Qing Dynasty is a rare treasure, which uses Xinjiang green and white jade as the material, with a height of 224 cm. It has been carved for six years, employing 150000 pieces, and costs a lot of money More than 15000 taels of silver.

Today's Yangzhou jade carving artists have fully inherited the traditional excellent skills of Yangzhou jade carving, and are determined to innovate. In practice, they follow the rule of "selecting materials according to their materials, and performing arts according to their materials". In combination with the requirements of the times, they constantly improve the ability of "Xiangyu" and carving skills, and create a large number of products with novel composition, beautiful shape and exquisite workmanship. Their "Shanzi carving" and "lianzihuo" skills are unique, showing the exquisite Yangzhou jade carving techniques. Now the main inheritors of Yangzhou jade carving are Huang Yongshun, Gu Yongjun, Jiao Yiming, Liu Xiaohua, Li Xiaowei, Jiang Chunyuan, Xia Linbao, Wang Dehai, etc.

At present, the enterprises engaged in jade production in Yangzhou are generally faced with high costs (jade prices rise year by year), high costs, high taxes and other difficulties. At the same time, jade carving is hand-made, and the production cycle is long. Artists need to pay hard mental and physical labor, but they can not get the corresponding remuneration. These two reasons directly lead to the loss of a large number of existing technical personnel, young people are unwilling to learn and engage in this craft, Yangzhou jade carving skills lack of successors, and need to be protected and rescued.