Research on Shidiao Carving ―― The Clash of Wood and Blade, the Coexistence of Culture and Capital
Legend has it that in a manor in Shannan City, there was a servant who was a carpenter. The steward didn’t believe in the carpenter’s skills and made a bet with him: if the steward won, the servant would have his right hand cut off; if the servant won, the steward would give him the key to the warehouse. So the carpenter carved a louse on the master’s desk. When the master saw it, he scolded the steward for not cleaning properly — how could there be a louse on the table? The outcome of the bet was self-evident. This is the origin story of Shidiao carving, and that servant was the founding master of the craft.
In order to fill the gap in Shidiao carving culture and understand its related supply chain, using this as a research perspective to showcase the current development status of Shidiao carving, the Shidiao Research Group from the Fengyun Social Science Research Team of China Agricultural University went to Zhanang County, Shannan City, to conduct research activities.
The team first went on8June2to the Development and Reform Commission, the Agriculture Bureau, the Poverty Alleviation Office, and the Culture Bureau to gain a preliminary understanding of Shidiao carving. This mainly included the overall impression of Shidiao carving, the advantages of its development, relevant government support policies and promotional efforts, as well as the existing problems in its current development.
8August3, the team visited the Shidiao Craft Park and conducted an in-depth interview with Bai Ma Zhandui, the inheritor of Shidiao carving techniques. They learned about the origin legend of Shidiao carving, Bai Ma Zhandui’s personal experience learning the craft, the innovations in Shidiao carving along with examples, government promotion efforts, apprentices, and successors.
8October4, the team visited Tibetan furniture stores, family workshops, and wood carving professional cooperatives to conduct interviews. They learned about their family and business conditions, which indirectly reflected the supply and sales situation of Shidiao carving.
Since they had previously learned about information regarding Shidiao carving’s application for intangible cultural heritage status, the team went on8(Note: There is no 13th month; please confirm if this is a typo or requires special handling)5to the County Culture Bureau to interview the deputy director and the head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Cultural Industry Department. They mainly learned about the process of Shidiao carving’s application for national-level intangible cultural heritage status and its economic benefits.
8(Note: There is no 15th month; please confirm if this is a typo or requires special handling)6, the team went to Shenzang Village, Zhaji Township, Zhanang County, for household interviews. They mainly learned about villagers’ views on Shidiao carving. Most expressed confidence in it and believed traditional crafts should be promoted.
Through organizing their findings, the team discovered some unclear aspects from the interviews at the craft park. Therefore, on8(Note: There is no 18th month; please confirm if this is a typo or requires special handling)7, in the morning, the team revisited the Shidiao Craft Park to further explore issues such as whether there are special requirements for inheriting the craft and the origin of the name “Shidiao.” In the afternoon, they summarized and reviewed the research activities of the past week, shared their findings, and reflected on areas for improvement. With this, the Shidiao research group’s investigation activities in Zhanang County were successfully concluded.