Dongyang Woodcarving

Woodcarving is a traditional folk handicraft of China. Its origination can be traced back to the New Stone Age. With a long history, the handicraft has developed into four major schools: Huizhou Woodcarving, Dongyang Woodcarving, Chaozhou Woodcarving, and Hunan Woodcarving. As one of the four major schools of woodcarving, Dongyang Woodcarving has been reputed as one of the best folk handicrafts and a national treasure.

Dongyang has been honored as the hometown of woodcarving since ancient time. Dongyang Woodcarving came into being early in Tang Dynasty. In Song Dynasty, it reached a high state of the art. During the period of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, Dongyang Woodcarving came into flourishing. At that time, Dongyang gradually became the national base of woodcarving. It produced a great amount of woodcarvings including Buddha sculptures, and ornamental architectural components designed for palaces, temples, gardens, and folk houses. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Dongyang Woodcarving spread its name to every corner of China. About 400 skillful Dongyang woodcarvers were recruited to the capital to restore the palaces. Some of them went to the court to make wood furniture for the emperor. After Xinhai Revolution, namely the 1911 Revolution, Dongyang Woodcarving was gradually commercialized. Many woodcarvings were sold to Hong Kong, the US, and the Southeast Asia. And factories of Dongyang Woodcarving sprung up one after another. Renyi Factory, established in 1914 in Hangzhou, was the first Dongyang Woodcarving factory. But later during the War of Resistance and the civil war, Dongyang Woodcarving suffered severe depression. After the establishment of PRC, the dispersed carvers were organized by the government and a cooperative was set up. Now, Dongyang Woodcarving has developed 7 major categories covering more than 3600 varieties of Dongyang Woodcarving. Among them, carved wooden folding screens, hanging screens, and table screens are new styles of Dongyang woodcarving. As time goes on, Dongyang Woodcarving is stepping towards a bright future by continuous innovation and improvement.

Dongyang Woodcarving is mainly used to embellish the wood furniture. Slightly varnished, it shows the wood grain clearly so that one can appreciate the skillful, exquisite carving. The woodcarvings of Dongyang are often related to Chinese historical stories or folklores. For example, the massive wall hanging woodcarving: Madam White Snake inside Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou is a masterpiece of Dongyang Woodcarving.