Cloud Ferry Peach Carving

Cloud Ferry Peach Carving

　　Peach carving

　　Suyang was anciently called Taoyuan County, home to Peach Garden Town, Peach Garden Beach, and historic landmarks like the Peach Garden Shrine and Number One Scholar Mound. The slopes of Number One Scholar Mound were densely planted with peach trees, and when they bloomed, the area turned crimson. A poem describes it: “In recent years, at Number One Scholar Mound by the Huai River, peach blossoms spread beyond numbering the villages. Do not say there’s no place to escape Qin—let me knock on a cottage door amidst the blooms.” Suyang farmers have traditionally liked planting peach trees—the flowers for viewing, the fruits for eating, and the pits carved into artworks for sale. Local tradition held that peach trees could “ward off evil,” giving rise to the saying, “Three peach trees in a home keep wandering ghosts at bay.”

　　The ancient riverside town of Yundu was close to Peach Garden Town, where peach trees abounded and peach carving skills flourished. During farming off-seasons, locals carved peach pits into crafts such as peach baskets, peach locks, and peach monkeys to sell for extra income. Though Cloud Ferry Peach Carving boasts over 300 years of history, it remained largely unknown until the 1970s, when the Ministry of Foreign Trade discovered it. Experts and local artisans collaborated to develop artistic designs like the Chinese Zodiac, Eighteen Arhats, Monkey Carrying Fish, and Panda Chewing Bamboo, all of which have become beloved by travelers from home and abroad.