Suzhou Micro-Carving

Suzhou Micro-Carving

　　Among Suzhou’s arts and crafts, none are as intricate and minuscule as micro-carving. Micro-carving involves using an extremely fine triangular knife to carve delicate calligraphy, paintings, figures, or poetry onto bamboo, ivory, or even human hair. The smaller the piece, the more precious it is considered.

　　　　Micro-carving is also a traditional craft of Suzhou. As early as the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, Shen Junyu from Wuxian County carved a hunchbacked old man from an olive pit, with such lifelike detail that even the four lines of poetry on the folding fan in the old man’s hand were clearly distinguishable. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, notable figures in Suzhou micro-carving have included Liang Xiaoyou and Da Songyuan, while emerging talents such as Dong Lansheng and Shen Weizhong have also made their mark. Among them, Dong Lansheng’s nut carvings are distinguished by their delicate intricacy, rigorous composition, refined details, and ability to convey grandeur in small scale. Zhang Yujie managed to inscribe Zhang Ji’s “Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night” on a piece of ivory no larger than a grain of rice with elegant and free-flowing strokes. Shen Weizhong went even further, carving ten poems along with signatures totaling 310 characters on a rice-sized piece of ivory. Building on his inheritance and development of micro-carving art, he also pioneered hair carving—etching the phrase “Our friends are all over the world” in both Chinese and English on a single strand of hair just 4 millimeters long. On another hair strand less than 1 centimeter in length, he depicted the characters Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, each with distinct expressions and vivid, dynamic poses, elevating Suzhou’s micro-carving artistry to new heights. Shen Weizhong’s hair and micro-carving works have been exhibited multiple times in regions and countries including Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia, and are hailed as “priceless treasures.”

　　　　Recommended Location: Suzhou Arts and Crafts Museum

　　　　Full Address: No. 88, Northwest Street, Suzhou

　　　　Inquiry Phone: 0512-67535273