Guangzhou Carving

Guangzhou Carving

　　Carving art has a long history in China. Based on the material used, it can be categorized into ivory carving, jade carving, wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, bone carving, and more. Guangzhou Carving refers to the carving craftsmanship and its products that carry the distinctive regional characteristics of Lingnan, represented by Guangzhou. Among Guangzhou Carving, the most renowned are ivory carving, jade carving, and wood carving.

　　 Specialty Culture: According to historical records, the art of ivory carving in China dates back over 3,000 years. The emergence of ivory carving in Guangzhou came slightly later than in the Central Plains region, beginning in the Jin Dynasty, also with a history of over 2,000 years. Among the unearthed artifacts from the Western Han Dynasty Nanyue King’s Tomb was a bundle of five large elephant tusks, the largest of which measured 126 centimeters in length. It was determined that the tusks originated from Africa, likely transported via the Maritime Silk Road. Additionally, carvings of elephants, ivory counting rods, and fragments of ivory artifacts were also excavated. These findings suggest that the ivory was imported specifically for carving purposes. If this identification is accurate, then the history of Guangzhou ivory carving would be pushed back significantly. In the past, people in Lingnan, especially those in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta, regarded ivory as an auspicious object believed to “ward off evil and cleanse impurities.” The ivory carving referred to here is the carving of elephant tusks. Ivory carving in Guangzhou flourished in the late Ming Dynasty and, through continuous development over the dynasties, gradually became a famous specialty of the city.

　　 Specialty Varieties: People in Guangzhou believe that jade, like ivory, can ward off evil and disasters, and bring good fortune, hence they particularly cherish jade and regard it as a treasure. Most young men and women on the streets of Guangzhou wear small jade carvings (jade pendants) around their necks, as well as jade rings or jade bangles on their hands.

　　In 1983, a large number of jade artifacts were unearthed from the Nanyue King’s Tomb, including over 130 types of “rare treasures of Han jade” such as jade bi discs, jade boxes, silk-covered jade suits, jade seals, jade ornaments, and jade horn cups. These exquisite jewelry pieces were intricately carved, with ingenious designs and superb craftsmanship. This indicates that the jade carving craft in Guangzhou had already reached a fairly high level during the Western Han Dynasty. The jade carving craft in Guangzhou flourished in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty and also boasts a history of over a thousand years, making it a long-established tradition. Guangzhou jade carving art inherits the Song Dynasty tradition of “skillful-color jade,” creating the unique technique of “color retention,” showcasing the natural color of the original jade with exceptional refinement. By the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty (early 19th century), the jade carving craft industry in Guangzhou had become well-established as an organized trade, and guild organizations for jade merchants and artisans had emerged.

　　　　Guangzhou jade carving artisans absorbed techniques from various regions, drawing on the strengths of all, and integrated them with the skills of Guangzhou ivory carving, creating their own distinctive style in terms of varieties, craftsmanship, and materials. The raw materials for Guangzhou jade carving are mostly selected from the “Southern Jade” produced in Xinyi, western Guangdong. Xinyi Jade is grass-green in color, semi-transparent, often with natural patterns, and becomes crystal clear and uniquely distinctive after polishing. Guangzhou jade carving products fall into two main categories: jewelry and decorative items. Jewelry includes jade bangles, rings, earrings, jade pendants, as well as jade ornaments inlaid with gold, silver, and gemstones. Decorative items consist of traditional floral designs, human figures, birds and beasts, vases and jars, as well as uniquely styled high-end crafts such as jade balls, flower boats, and pagodas. Among these, the openwork jade ball is a product of Guangzhou jade carving artisans overcoming the challenges posed by the hardness and difficulty of processing jade. These jade balls feature unique designs and exquisite craftsmanship, often consisting of over 20 layers with larger spheres encasing smaller ones. The layers are uniformly thin and rotate smoothly. When gently shaken in the hand, they produce a crisp sound of jade colliding. The balls are also carved with landscapes, flowers, figures, insects, fish, birds, and other embellishments, all vividly lifelike. One 18-layer double-lion suspended mother ball once won an award at the 1978 National Science Conference. Thin-walled Southern Jade bowls and small jade tea sets are also masterpieces among Guangzhou jade carvings and are considered treasured works of Chinese jade carving art.