Root carvings at Bailian Mountain Manor

Root carvings at Bailian Mountain Manor

　　Root carving is one of the traditional Han Chinese carving arts. It takes the natural and deformed forms of tree roots (including tree trunks, burls, bamboo roots, etc.) as the objects of artistic creation. Through conceptualization, artistic processing, and craftsmanship, it creates artistic works in the form of figures, animals, utensils, and more. Root carving art is a form of plastic art that discovers natural beauty and demonstrates creative processing. The craft of root carving emphasizes "one-third human effort, seven-thirds nature," meaning that in root carving, the primary focus is on utilizing the natural shapes of the root materials to express artistic images, with only supplementary manual modifications. Therefore, root carving is also known as the "art of roots" or "root art."