Stone carving (talc carving in Yexian County)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: stone carving (talc carving in Ye County)

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Project No.: 832

Project No.: Ⅶ - 56

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Shandong Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Protection unit: Laizhou Cultural Center

Introduction to stone carving (talc carving in Yexian County)

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Stone carving, also known as "stone carving", is a traditional hand carving technique with stone as raw material. China's stone carving art has a long history. It has been carried on for thousands of years and has been handed down to the present day. It shows the exquisite technology, ingenious conception and abundant creativity of traditional folk crafts. Stone carving is usually created on natural stone materials such as marble, granite, bluestone and sandstone. In this process, a series of skilled folk carving techniques such as round carving, relief carving, openwork carving and line carving are used. Because these stone materials are natural and can be preserved for a long time, stone carving techniques are mostly used to make large-scale sculptures and decorative sculptures. According to the use, stone carving products can be divided into three categories: first, building components and decorations, such as platform base, memorial archway, stone lion, etc.; second, god Buddha statues, such as the statues of Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi Province and Longmen Grottoes in Henan Province; third, daily necessities, such as desk ornaments and inkstones, which can be appreciated and used. Traditional stone carving used axes, hammers and chisels as tools. In modern times, some more advanced tools such as glycerine powder and simple machinery were used. With the development of society, the stone carving technology is improving day by day. As a unique commodity, the related products are widely circulated in the market and have unique artistic charm.

Yexian talc carving is a traditional carving art with talc as raw material, which is mainly spread in Yexian area of Laizhou City, Shandong Province. Talc is soft and delicate, and its color is crystal like jade, so it is suitable for carving materials. According to records, talc carving in Yexian County originated in the Song Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were a large number of family workshops for talc carving. In the second half of the 20th century, there were more than 100 factory workshops, which greatly expanded the production scale. Through the inheritance and development of artists in past dynasties, Yexian talc carving has formed a complete set of techniques, which can carve more than 2000 kinds of products in eight categories: stove bottles, figures, animals, flowers and birds, landscapes, buttons, stationery and utensils. Talcum carving artists in Yexian County are good at creating according to the natural texture and color of stones. They often shape their works according to their materials and use knives according to their materials. Their works, especially those with "skillful colors", are extremely beautiful. Once polished and waxed, they are even more exquisite. At present, due to the influence of market economy, talc carving in Yexian County is on the decline and needs to be protected.