Bamboo carving (Changzhou Liuqing bamboo carving)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Bamboo carving (Changzhou Liuqing bamboo carving)

Applicant: Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Project No.: 345

Project No.: Ⅶ - 46

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Protection unit: Changzhou Cultural Center

Introduction to bamboo carving (Liuqing bamboo carving in Changzhou)

Applicant: Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Liuqing bamboo carving is a traditional folk craft in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, with a long history. In the late Qing Dynasty, Liuqing bamboo carvings in Changzhou took the first place in China and enjoyed a high reputation. Since modern times, there have been a large number of famous bamboo carvers in Changzhou, and their exquisite works have appeared repeatedly, forming two schools represented by Xu Su Bai and Bai Shi Feng. On the basis of absorbing the bamboo carving art of the predecessors, Xu Su Bai reproduces the famous works of calligraphers and painters in Shanghai with a carving knife, which promotes the bamboo carving art of Liuqing to a new height. Bai Shifeng's works are fluent in knife technique, exquisite in carving, simple and elegant in style, and full of charm.

Changzhou Liuqing bamboo carving products have many types, such as craft table screen, craft hanging screen, craft pen holder and armrest. The production process mainly includes four steps: shaping, drawing, trimming and bottom shoveling. It often takes several months to complete a fine product. Bamboo is made into rectangular armrest, hanging screen, pen holder and other objects, and then polished to be smooth, which is called "shaping"; printing or self drawing on the bamboo surface is called "drawing"; cutting the edge of bamboo at different angles, such as vertical, inclined and arc, is called "cutting edge"; scraping bamboo is called "shovel bottom". The bottom of a calligraphy work is scraped at the same level, which requires smooth strokes, even and smooth bottom, and straight bamboo bars; the bottom of a painting work needs to decide whether to leave all, more, less or not according to the thickness, depth, virtual and real of the strokes.

Changzhou Liuqing bamboo carvings show extraordinary aesthetic taste and can play a positive role in cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. As an outstanding representative of Jiangnan culture, this highly artistic handicraft has many aspects of research value. At present, although there are many inheritors in Xu Bai's two major art schools, the gap between their skill level and their predecessors is very obvious. It has become an urgent task to improve the overall level of Changzhou Liuqing bamboo carving production and take effective measures to protect the inheritance.