How China’s skilled Chaozhou woodcarvers created an enviable art form that still thrives today
- The craft, known for its precision, sophistication and lifelike sculptures, is one of the nation’s oldest surviving and most reputable types of woodcarving
- Detailed golden phoenixes, blossoming flowers and crabs caught in fishing nets among images found in temples, ancestral halls, on furniture and tools
This article is part of a weekly series that dives deep into the small things that add character to our city, enrich our culture and make our lives beautiful.
Chaozhou woodcarving is one of the oldest surviving and most reputable forms of woodcarving in China, and is famous for its precision, sophistication and lifelike sculptures.
Depicting everything from golden phoenixes and blossoming flowers to crabs struggling in a fishing net and rivals fighting in a martial arts contest, the craft captures the fine, complex details of images and moments in time.
It brings them to life, right down to facial expressions and dynamic movements.
Chaozhou woodcarvings can often be found on the doors, windows and beams of temples and ancestral halls, on furniture such as partitions and cabinets, on ornaments and on religious tools and vessels.
A common theme is sea animals such as crabs, lobsters and fish ... [because] many Chaozhou people used to be fishermen
