Hui'an stone carving master devotes 36 years of his life to passing on traditional craft

Wu Deqiang, a master of Hui'an stone carving, a national intangible cultural heritage in Hui'an county, southeast China's Fujian Province, has dedicated himself to carrying forward the traditional handicraft for 36 years.

Wu Deqiang, a master of Hui'an stone carving, which is a national intangible cultural heritage in Hui'an county, southeast China's Fujian Province, creates a piece of stone carving work. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Born in the county known for Hui'an stone carving, and influenced by the millennium-old craft when he was a child, Wu became an apprentice in a stone carving factory after graduating from junior high school.

Thanks to his assiduous study, Wu later had the opportunity to learn the craft from Jiang Zhijin, a stone carving master, and Hong Shiqing, a famous sculptor. After his study of the craft, Wu finally became a stone carving master, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor, and a national-level crafts and arts master.

Recently, a piece of Wu's stone carving artwork won the "Shanhua Prize," the highest prize for China's folk art. The artwork depicts two Hui'an women prying a stone together and reflects the local women's industrious spirit.

Wu said he drew inspiration from a scene where he saw Hui'an women prying stones at a mine when he was an apprentice.

Wu Deqiang instructs his apprentices. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Wu feels gratified about the inheritance and development of Hui'an stone carving. In recent years, the county has held international carving art fairs, bolstering Hui'an stone carving's influence and enabling more and more young people to learn and pass on the craft.

Wu has developed a new approach in carrying forward the craft by bringing together college graduates across the country and craftsmen from Hui'an to jointly create Hui'an stone carving works. He has cultivated many skilled craftsmen who can put theory into practice, injecting fresh blood into the inheritance of the traditional craft.

"I'm a provincial-level inheritor of Hui'an stone carving, so it's my duty to pass on the millennium-old craft in the new era," Wu said.

Photo shows a piece of stone carving artwork created by Wu Deqiang. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)