Dongyang Wood Carving

Dongyang Wood Carving

Dongyang Wood Carving is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Dongyang Wood Carving gets its name due to its geographical origins. Dongyang City is located in central Zhejiang Province, characterized by “three mountains sandwiching two basins, and the basins embracing two rivers.” The region features more mountains than flat land. In ancient times, residents often suffered from alternating droughts and floods along the northern and southern rivers, so they made a living through craftsmanship. Dongyang Wood Carving is one of the more prominent crafts among them. It is mainly distributed across various towns and villages in Dongyang, extending to surrounding counties and cities, and has spread to Jiangsu, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Hubei, Henan, Jilin, Sichuan, Chongqing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and even as far as Singapore, Thailand, Mongolia, Albania, Canada, and other countries.

　　According to the Kangxi Xin Zhi (New Annals of the Kangxi Era) of Dongyang, during the Tang Dynasty’s Taihe era, the brothers Feng Su and Feng Ding from Fenggaolou Village in Dongyang served as Minister of Personnel and Minister of Works, respectively. Their residences were described as having “lofty towers adorned with dazzling painted railings, with corridors beneath stretching nearly half a li.” The Lu family tomb and the tomb of Shu Yuanyu, a Tang Dynasty imperial examination graduate and prime minister from the Yuanhe era, were both robbed in the early 20th century, yielding exquisitely carved wooden burial figurines. This indicates that Dongyang Wood Carving had already reached a certain level of development before the Taihe era of the Tang Dynasty. Existing wooden statues of the virtuous boy Shancai and the Goddess of Mercy from the Song Dynasty, carved in the second year of the Jianlong era, feature classic and dignified designs, showcasing the craftsmanship level and stylistic characteristics of Dongyang Wood Carving at the time. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dongyang Wood Carving was widely used in architectural and furniture decoration, forming a complete set of techniques and refined styles. Existing examples include the classical architectures of the Luzhai “Suyong Hall,” Baitan “Wuben Hall,” and Mashangqiao “Yijing Hall” from the Ming and Qing periods, as well as furniture pieces such as the “Thousand-Worker Bed” and “Ten-Li Red Wedding Outfit.” In the early 20th century, Dongyang Wood Carving began shifting from folk architecture and furniture decoration to the production of export handicrafts. The “Ren Yi Factory” established in Hangzhou in 1914 was the earliest manufacturer of Dongyang Wood Carving, which later expanded progressively to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other regions. After the 1950s, production facilities for Dongyang Wood Carving also began to be established in various parts of China.

　　Traditional Dongyang Wood Carving is a form of decorative carving, primarily featuring planar relief carving. This includes types such as thin relief, shallow relief, deep relief, high relief, multi-layered stacking relief, openwork double-sided carving, sawn-open carving, full-surface carving, colored wood inlay carving, and round wood relief. These techniques offer rich layering while retaining the fundamental characteristics of planar decoration. Moreover, the color tone remains light, without the use of dark lacquer, preserving the natural texture and color of the wood. This gives the works an elegant style, hence it is called “white wood carving.” Dongyang Wood Carving selects materials rigorously, often using basswood, white peachwood, camphorwood, and ginkgo wood. Its craftsmanship falls into two categories: carving without pre-drawn designs and carving based on designed drafts. Both emphasize creativity and a “painterly” quality, possessing high artistic value. There are numerous schools of Dongyang Wood Carving, with family inheritance and apprenticeship being the primary modes of transmission. Key contemporary inheritors include artists such as Lu Guangzheng.

　　In the past twenty years, people’s lifestyles have undergone tremendous changes. Traditional wood carvings are no longer used to decorate modern buildings. The skilled and exquisite craftsmanship, ingenious and dynamic designs, and rich traditional connotations of Dongyang Wood Carving have gradually lost their sustaining environment, leading to a decline. Younger generations today find it difficult to commit to mastering traditional skills, resulting in a widespread phenomenon of unskilled practitioners and overall talent loss. In the face of the endangered status of Dongyang Wood Carving craftsmanship, urgent rescue and preservation efforts are necessary.