Tongxiang Bamboo Carving Bamboo carving is a traditional carving art, also known as "bamboo carving", which refers to carving various decorative patterns and characters on bamboo utensils, or carving bamboo roots into various decorative ornaments. Bamboo carving has a very early origin. "The Book of Rites: Jade Algae" records: "Scholars and officials decorate bamboo to make a hu." The earliest known bamboo carving object is the painted lacquer dragon-patterned bamboo spoon unearthed from the No. 1 Tomb of Mawangdui in the Western Han Dynasty. After the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhejiang bamboo carving emerged as a new force and became the representative of bamboo carving art in the late Qing Dynasty. According to records, Zhejiang bamboo carving is mainly carried out in Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou, and many famous carvers in modern times come from these three places. In December 2004, the Expert Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Ethnic and Folk Art Protection Project determined that the main areas of Zhejiang bamboo carving are Tongxiang and Anji, and the representative figures are Zhong Shanyin and Ye Yusun from Tongxiang. Chinese bamboo carving is divided into bamboo root carving, green-leaving, yellow-sticking and other categories. In terms of techniques, there are mainly relief carving, deep carving, hollow carving, intaglio carving, relief carving and round carving. Under the influence and guidance of famous artists such as Zhong Shanyin and Ye Yusun, Tongxiang bamboo carving not only inherited the traditional Chinese bamboo carving art, but also made some innovations and developments on this basis, gradually forming a relatively unique and distinctive creative style. Tongxiang bamboo carving is mainly based on armrests, which are important decorations on the desk and have a scholarly atmosphere. Poems, paintings, famous quotes, etc. are usually engraved on the convex surface of bamboo as encouragement and for people to appreciate. Zhong Shanyin (born in 1930) was born in Wuzhen, Tongxiang. In 1951, he studied seal carving under the famous Jinshi master Deng Sanmu in Shanghai. In 1953, he returned to his hometown Wuzhen, mainly carving seals and studying bamboo carving. Since 1977, his bamboo carving artworks have been promoted by Rongbaozhai and have been well received by collectors at home and abroad. In 2003, he was awarded the title of "Master of Chinese Bamboo Craft". Zhong Shanyin's bamboo carving themes are mostly flowers, birds, and figures. His works have smooth lines and delicate knife skills, which are of great collection value. Ye Yusun (born in 1948) was born in Shimen, Tongxiang. He learned seal carving at the age of twelve, and specialized in bamboo carving after 1979. He copied ancient and modern famous calligraphy and paintings with shallow carving and blue-leaving method, and was especially famous for carving Feng Zikai's works at home and abroad. He published a collection of "Rongyuan Bamboo Carving". In 1995, he was awarded the title of "First-Class Folk Arts and Crafts Artist" by UNESCO and the China Folk Artists Association. Tongxiang bamboo carving was included in the third batch of Zhejiang Province's intangible cultural heritage list. Information source: Jiaxing Library Information source: Jiaxing Library