Liyang woodcarving is a woodcarving craft that is popular in Liyang. Liyang Town in Lintong District has become a well-known woodcarving town because of it. Regarding the production of Liyang woodcarving, let's listen to what Li Shusen, a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Xi'an who was born on February 14, 1943, has to say. Regarding the process, Li Shusen said: "To make Liyang woodcarving, you have to choose the material first. Peach wood and pear wood are the best. People say that peach wood can ward off evil spirits, and rural people love this." "Now there are more peach woods. After the wood is ready, it must be soaked in salt water for a period of time, and then steamed in a pot. In this way, the carved wood will not be eaten by insects and can be placed anywhere for a long time." "After soaking and steaming, it is dried in the sun. When it is dry, the lines are drawn, that is, the usable parts are marked with ink lines. After cutting and planing, it can be carved. The techniques include round carving, openwork carving, and hollow carving." "Then it is carved. After carving, it needs to be polished. Some woods will turn natural colors after being polished and placed anywhere for a long time. These are all colors that grow by themselves. Look at the statue of Li Bai drinking, the base color has turned red, and there is no color, it grows by itself." "I carve figures and animals. At first, they were farm tools in our countryside. Now people love culture, so I carve figures from the Three Kingdoms. People like Guan Gong for his loyalty." Liyang woodcarving has a long history and exquisite workmanship. Regarding its practical value, Li Shusen said: "The history of woodcarving is very long. People have been carving since the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty. Look at the straw-carrying fork in the field. It was used as a battering ram in ancient times. When there was no war, farmers would use it to collect straw. Farmers were very clever. Nowadays, people like to put some beautiful things on the table. People love these woodcarving crafts. The wheel should be 360 degrees, with nine nets and eighteen auxiliary (strips)." There are many kinds of woodcarving in Liyang, which are small and exquisite. The main works of Liyang woodcarving crafts include: Huaqing Pool Gate, West Archway, various car frames, wheelbarrows, plows and farm tools, spears and weapons; miniature statues of ancient and modern figures (Drunken Concubine, Thousand Miles Alone, Li Shimin); home pendants and wearable accessories. Weighing it in your hand and placing it on the table, it is ingenious and pleasing to the eye. Liyang woodcarving has a unique style and is very valuable. The woodcarving craft of Liyang is made of native wood, which is simple and natural, strong and beautiful, exquisite and delicate. It has both ornamental value and collection value, and is deeply welcomed and loved by everyone. The farming culture series is a living textbook that shows history, inherits culture, and educates future generations. Some people say that Li Shusen has been engaged in woodcarving in the past. After graduating from junior high school, he went to the woodworking studio to learn the craft. Under the careful guidance of the master, with his deep love for farming culture, coupled with his dexterous hands and extraordinary understanding, he quickly mastered all the skills of Liyang woodcarving, such as material selection, steaming, cutting, carving, and polishing. He became an expert in Liyang woodcarving before he was 20 years old. In the movement of "cutting off the tail of capitalism", he was also affected, and all his carving tools and works were burned. In order to prevent the art of Liyang woodcarving from being lost, he secretly made tools in the dead of night and hid them in a very secluded place. He often secretly found some wood to carve in the middle of the night when others were asleep, and then hid them after carving. Originally, the materials used for Liyang woodcut were very exquisite. Generally, hard woods such as peach, pear, and poplar were selected as raw materials. However, such materials were difficult to find at that time. In order to keep his skills fresh, he used fast-growing paulownia instead. After the reform and opening up, especially the implementation of the rural production responsibility system, Li Shusen and Liyang woodcut ushered in a new spring. Not only were the materials easier to find, but he could also boldly make and sell them. With the improvement of living standards, people's demand for artworks increased, so Liyang woodcut became famous and Li Shusen became well-known. Li Shusen's representative work is the farming culture series. His works are small but complete, and the fine workmanship and exquisite wood materials are amazing. With the change of people's artistic appreciation, he also took characters from classical novels, auspicious beasts, festive characters, etc. as his creative objects. The woodcut characters are mainly festive, such as "attracting wealth and treasure", "fortune, longevity, and joy and abundance", etc. Hard work and superb skills also won benefits and honors for Li Shusen. In June 2012, Li Shusen was named by the Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television as the representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage project "Liyang Woodcarving" in Xi'an. In June 2013, his work won the second prize in the sculpture category of the first intangible cultural heritage skills competition. In 2014 and 2015, he was named an "excellent inheritor" at the district level. "Liyang Woodcarving" was announced as the third batch of representative intangible cultural heritage projects in Xi'an in 2011, and was announced as the fifth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage projects by the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government in 2016. On February 9, 2017 (the 13th day of the first lunar month), the "Lintong District Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition and Performance Activity" and "Guessing Lantern Riddles Activity" hosted by the Lintong District Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film and Television and undertaken by the District Cultural Center were held as scheduled in Tang Zhaoyingfang, mainly exhibiting the two intangible cultural heritage projects of "Liyang Woodcarving" and "Pottery Xun". (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)