Bagou Stone Carving Craft

Bagou Stone Carving Craft

　　　The Bagou stone carving craft boasts a long and enduring history, with origins traceable to the Neolithic Age. Handed down through generations via oral and practical instruction, this tradition persists to the present day. The carving craft is still active in Bagou and nearby regions. Research reveals that relics such as stone flakes and tools around seven thousand years old, stone human statues about four thousand years old, and stone coffins and epitaphs of Princess Dachang from the Liao and Jin dynasties have been found. Other discoveries include large-scale round sculptures such as stone sheep, stone tigers, stone monkeys, stone tomb guardians (wengzhong), and stone lions. These large freestanding carvings feature simple yet refined craftsmanship, with the sheep, tigers, and monkeys rendered in strikingly lifelike forms—true masterpieces of Liao and Jin stone carving art.

　　Although the Bagou stone carving technique began in the Neolithic Age and has continued to the present, records of specific carvers’ names and works only emerged during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, notably those of Feng Yu and Feng Shen from Shuanghe Village, Huangtuliangzi Town, Pingquan County. This traditional carving art has existed in Pingquan and surrounding areas since the Neolithic Age. Stone artifacts over seven thousand years old were unearthed at the Huazidong Site in Dangba Town, Pingquan County. Jade pig-dragon carvings—a world-class treasure among carved artworks—were discovered at the Hongshan Culture Site in Chifeng, over a hundred kilometers from Pingquan. Stone human figures from the Shang and Zhou periods were found at the Dingzicheng and Xiajiadian (Upper and Lower Layers) cultural sites in Pingquan County. From the Liao and Jin periods, stone lions were excavated at the Huizhou City ruins in Pingquan, while large-scale stone sculptures such as stone sheep, tigers, monkeys, and tomb guardians were found in Shihu Village, Liuxi Township. In Toutao Yingzi Village, Menghewusu Township, a stone coffin and stele from the tomb of Princess Dachang were uncovered, along with stone lion statues from the late Qing and Republican eras. All these artifacts demonstrate that Pingquan County’s “Bagou Stone Carving Technique” is an ancient craft with profound historical roots. This carving method was created through the hard work of laboring people over many generations, representing the crystallization of wisdom from earlier artisans and the essence of sculptural art.

　　Despite its long history, the Bagou stone carving craft still has practitioners today. However, since most carvers are now over 40 years old and younger generations are reluctant to take up the trade, this craft is now facing the risk of being lost.