Guizhou Xiongjing Carving

Guizhou Xiongjing Carving

　　　　Guizhou Xiongjing Carving has a history of over 300 years. It flourished about 200 years ago but gradually declined by the end of the Qing Dynasty. The early years of the Republic of China marked its most prosperous period in history, when there were nearly ten workshops, each employing six or seven carvers.

　　The varieties of Xiongjing carving crafts are abundant, featuring a wide range of wine cups, vases, and small animal figures such as birds and beasts. Larger pieces include “The Three Stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity,” “The Reunion of Two Immortals,” “The Goddess Magu Celebrating Longevity,” “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” “The Buddha,” and more.

　　Using Xiongjing as the material, artisans apply artistic techniques to carve various figures, animals, flowers and birds, as well as decorative objects, pendants, and toys. The resulting images are vividly lifelike, and the works are exquisitely beautiful and charming.

　　In 1913, master Deng Shuxuan’s Xiongjing wine cups and ruyi (scepter-like ornaments) won medals at the Guizhou Provincial Industrial Exhibition; in 1921, an 18-scholar figure carving (measuring five cubic city inches) made from Xiongjing earned a medal at the Rome Exhibition in Italy.