Current location:opinions >>
Young Craftswoman Breathes New Life into Wood Carvings
opinions96People have gathered around
IntroductionContact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom ...
- Home
- News
- People
- In-depth
- ACWF
Young Craftswoman Breathes New Life into Wood Carvings
July 14, 2022
It is common for residents of Chaozhou (a city in South China's Guangdong Province) to watch a young craftswoman create wood carvings, in the intangible cultural heritage market, on Guangji Bridge (in Chaozhou). The 20-something woman always works attentively, with a mallet in one hand and a knife in the other. Many visitors are impressed by her superb carving skills.
The woman is Chen Jia, who was born into a family of wood carvers. Her grandfather, Chen Shunqiang, is a State-level master of arts and crafts in China, and her father, Chen Peixi, is a Guangdong provincial master of arts and crafts. Influenced by both her father and grandfather, Chen Jia developed an interest in wood carvings during her early childhood. At the age of 14, she began studying carving skills under her father. Given her diligence and wisdom, she quickly honed her skills.
Chaozhou's wood carvings, one of the best-known woodcarving crafts in China, are on China's list of intangible cultural heritage. "Lobsters and Crabs Wrestling in and Outside a Basket," which is a common theme (of Chaozhou's wood carving), symbolizes a bumper harvest reaped by fishermen. Given her keen observation and superb workmanship, Chen Jia has created many intricate, lifelike wood carvings, which depict furious fights among lobsters and crabs.
"I depict lobsters and crabs with different movements in each of my works. How? By carving, with utmost care, the 'moving' lobsters' feet and crabs' pincers ... I often observe, at a food stall, how a lobster moves its feet when it walks," says Chen Jia.
Multilayered openwork is a typical characteristic of Chaozhou's wood carvings. To achieve an ideal artistic effect, a carver must imagine what he/she wants to present in every layer of his/her carving before he/she begins the work. A carver usually uses more than 30 knives and several mallets (of different sizes) as he/she creates a work. Sometimes, the carver uses chalk and/or pencils to mark on the work. Carving figures, animals and/or landscapes, in fine details, requires tremendous patience. Wood carving is also a manual-labor task, especially when a carver has to hold a 5-10-kilogram wood blank as he/she makes the carving's base.
Broken skin, blisters and injuries on her hands have been common occurrences for Chen Jia, who has been obsessed with carving for many years. "When I was a little girl, I took delight in watching my parents make wood carvings. I also enjoyed playing with wood. I remember, when I studied in primary school, I carved a small wooden house under my dad's guidance. My maiden carpentry earned me first prize during the crafts competition in my grade. For the first time in my life, I was praised (by my teacher) for my outstanding talent ... With the teacher's encouragement, I developed a keen interest in wood carvings," recalls Chen Jia.
"Considering we girls are fond of delicate articles, some times I use wood fragments to carve daily necessities. It is also an attempt to help people better understand the artistic charm of Chaozhou's wood carvings," says Chen Jia. With creation and innovation, she has breathed new life into the traditional craft. She has also made innovations in creating various wood carvings with more practical uses. For example, she has created exquisite combs and various knickknacks, such as wood-carved tigers and teapots.
Chen Jia hopes she and other craftspeople will create more wood carvings, which residents may use in their daily lives, bringing new vitality to the time-honored craft (Chaozhou's wood carvings).
Photos Supplied by VCG
(Source: Xinhua/Women of China English Monthly May 2022 issue)
32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn.
Comments
Magazines
Projects
- 2023 Women Science and Technology Innovation Pioneer...
Photos
- People Enjoy Blooming Tulips in Jinan, East...
- Flowers Bloom Across China in Spring
Special Coverage
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Guide news portal”。http://panama.lochsaege.com/html-50c299873.html
Related articles
Fresh heartache for cancer
opinionsCancer-stricken King Charles will be feeling fresh heartache after a former IRA commander confessed ...
【opinions】
Read moreNorth Korea files short
opinionsNorth Korea fired several rounds of short-range ballistic missiles toward its east coast on Monday, ...
【opinions】
Read moreDriver arrested for drug driving after plowing through classroom wall in Liverpool
opinionsLONDON (AP) — A driver who plowed through the wall of a Liverpool classroom shortly before the start ...
【opinions】
Read more
Popular articles
- Four people killed in a house explosion in southwestern Missouri
- 2 brothers condemned to die for the 'Wichita massacre' want a new sentencing hearing
- We're sleep experts
- PSG can clinch another league title if it wins at Lorient and Monaco does not beat Lille
- Here comes the char
- Revealed: Harry Styles superfans face 80
Latest articles
Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
UK prosecutors charge 2 men with spying for China, including a parliamentary researcher
Fencing mom Arianna Errigo and high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi named Italy's Olympic flagbearers
Kroger, Albertsons — still hoping to merge — agree to sell more stores to satisfy regulators
Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
CPC issues revised regulations on disciplinary inspections
LINKS
- China Wins Two More Gold Medals, Qin Lands Second Breaststroke Title
- China Wins Women's 4x100m Relay Gold at Asian Athletics Championships
- Heartwarming moment driver saves dog from being run over by bringing traffic to a halt on busy six
- Schoolgirls Kicking Outdated Attitudes into Touch
- Taikonaut Wang Yaping Sets China's Record for Longest Stay in Space
- Helping Women Villagers Embroider Better Lives
- Dream Comes True for Determined Disabled Student
- Woman Quits Consulting Job to Give Grandfather Experiences of a Lifetime
- China's Yin Ruoning Wins Women's PGA Championship
- Mutual Respect, Understanding Key to Family Happiness