Huian stone carving

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Huian stone carving

Applicant: Hui'an County, Fujian Province

Project No.: 335

Project No.: Ⅶ - 36

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Fujian Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Hui'an County, Fujian Province

Protected by: Hui'an Cultural Center

Introduction to Huian stone carving

Applicant: Hui'an County, Fujian Province

Huian stone carving is a traditional carving art with hard bluestone as the main raw material. It is mainly spread in Huian County, Quanzhou area, Fujian Province. The finished products are mostly used for architectural decoration.

Huian stone carving originated from the Central Plains culture in the Yellow River Basin. In the process of its formation, it also absorbed the Minyue culture and the foreign culture introduced along the "maritime Silk Road". It was accompanied by the architectural art and gradually formed a unique artistic style. There were many famous masters in the past dynasties. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, there have been pedigree inheritance records and many schools. During the song and Yuan Dynasties, Huian stone carving technology was very developed. After the end of Ming Dynasty, it became more mature and became the representative of Southern stone carving art.

There are five series of stone carvings in Hui'an, including stele processing, environmental garden sculpture, building components, craft carving and practical utensils. The main crafts are round carving, relief carving, line carving, sink carving and shadow carving.

Huian stone carving has a strong nationality and distinct characteristics of the times. As a representative of Southern stone carving art, Huian stone carving spread overseas earlier and was highly respected in Southeast Asia. In China, it is as famous as Quyang stone carving, and the saying "Huian in the south, Quyang in the north" is widely popular in stone carving circles.

At present, the older generation of Hui'an stone carving artists have gradually retired. At the same time, with the progress of science and technology, the precious traditional hand carving technology is gradually replaced by mechanization. Traditional skills are handed down from master to apprentice or from family by oral and heart teaching. Most of them are in a closed state. It is difficult for apprentices in modern factories to really learn the essence of traditional stone carving technology, so there is no successor in the whole stone carving industry. In addition, the cultural level of the carving artists is generally low, the investment in the static protection and theoretical research of the traditional stone carving technology is insufficient, and the work has not been carried out in an all-round way. Therefore, the traditional stone carving technology of Hui'an is in an increasingly endangered state, which is in urgent need of support and rescue.