What are the art and characteristics of Shoushan stone carvings in Fujian and Hui'an stone carvings?

Fujian has rolling mountains and rolling hills, rich in stone. The subtropical climate breeds lush forests, and the long coastal tidal flats are covered with colorful shells. Skilled artists use local materials to process stone, wood, bamboo, shells and other materials into valuable Shoushan stone carvings, bluestone carvings, wood carvings, bamboo carvings, shell carvings and other handicrafts. Among them, Fuzhou Shoushan stone carvings, Hui'an bluestone carvings and Fuzhou, Putian’s longan wood carvings are the representative example. Shoushan stone carving is one of the most famous traditional handicrafts in Fujian. It is made from the colorful and lustrous Shoushan stone produced in Shoushan, the northern suburb of Fuzhou. It is made according to the natural shape, color and texture of the stone. A sculptured work of art that subtly combines natural beauty with artistic beauty. Shoushan stone carvings appeared as early as 1,500 years ago in the Southern Dynasties. By the Song Dynasty, an independent major gradually formed. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the art of Shoushan stone seal button decoration became world-famous. There were many famous artists in the Qing Dynasty, and the masterpieces carved by famous artists Yang Yuxuan and Zhou Shangjun were unparalleled for a time. In modern times, carving techniques have developed into schools with different styles such as "East Gate" and "West Gate". Lin Qingqing, a famous carving master of the Ximen School, uses Chinese painting techniques to carve Boyi works in a unique and exquisite way. The Dongmen School mostly uses the natural shape of stone to carve figures, and its main artists include Lin Youchen and others. Through the efforts of generations of artists, Shoushan stone carving skills have been continuously improved, and there are many masterpieces. Chinese arts and crafts master Guo Gongsen's "Nine Carps and Chains", Chinese arts and crafts master Zhou Baoting's "Twenty-eight Ancient Beast Seal Buttons", Lin Hengyun's "Underwater World" and famous stone sculptures such as "Courting Chicken" and "Lots of Flowers and Fruits" are all unique. With high artistic value, they are all masterpieces handed down from generation to generation. Shoushan stone carving techniques are rich and diverse, including round carving, relief carving, thin sculpture, hollowing out and inlay. Excellent quality materials and exquisite skills make Shoushan stone carvings famous at home and abroad. Many treasures are collected by museums, treasure houses and collectors. Hui'an bluestone carvings (including granite carvings) are mainly used for architectural decoration, represented by dragon pillars, stone lions and various character reliefs. They are characterized by the combination of carvings and paintings, fine carvings, vivid images, and strong national characteristics. The products include four categories: relief sculpture, round sculpture, shadow sculpture and stele. Bluestone sculptures before the Ming Dynasty were mostly round sculptures with a rough style. Stone carving artists such as Li Zhou in the late Ming Dynasty and Li Musheng in the Qing Dynasty were meticulous in craftsmanship and pursued the beauty of form and charm in modeling. The figures, flowers and birds they carved became increasingly sophisticated and lifelike. Contemporary Hui'an stone carving art has become more mature, and its works can be found all over the country, such as Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Beijing, August 1st Memorial Tower in Nanchang, Jinggangshan Monument, Xiamen Jimei Ao Garden, etc. There are magnificent stone carvings. Shadow carving is a newly developed stone carving technique. It is carefully carved on ancient bluestone slabs, making it look lifelike whether it is an imitation of a photo or a traditional Chinese painting. Fujian wood carving art gradually developed from folk architecture, furniture, and Buddhist statue carvings. Varieties include longan wood carvings, boxwood carvings, camphor wood carvings, gold wood carvings, colored wood carvings, etc. The main producing areas are Fuzhou, Putian, Quanzhou, and northern Fujian. The styles vary from place to place. Excellent works include "Hou Yi" and "Wu". Fuzhou longan wood carvings focus on antiques, with exquisite knife skills, emphasis on charm, simple style, concise and general shapes, steady and generous, and have strong and vigorous artistic characteristics; Putian boxwood carvings and longan wood carvings are famous for exquisite openwork carvings, with simple, elegant and carved styles. Delicate and well-structured, the gold and wood carvings in southern Fujian are popular in combining openwork and relief carvings, and are decorated with gold color, making them resplendent and exquisite. Quanzhou's colorful wood carvings mainly use birds and animals as their themes, pursuing realistic and lifelike artistic effects. Root carving is a new variety of arts and crafts that has evolved and developed in recent years by inheriting wood carving and drawing on other crafts. It uses the old and dry roots of natural trees or vines to be processed into figures, birds, animals, fruits, etc. for display. The product embodies the natural wild charm and displays the charm of the objects. The main producing areas of ivory carvings are Fuzhou and Putian. Fuzhou ivory carvings are derived from traditional longan wood carvings. The layout is complex but not chaotic, the carving techniques are delicate and smooth, the demeanor is steady and generous, and the style is unique. It is one of the four major schools of Chinese ivory carving (Beijing, Sui, Shanghai, and Rong). Modern ivory carving masterpieces such as "Cao's Family", "Walking in the Rain", and "Returning to My Mother's Home" have both form and spirit, and each has its own characteristics. It is a successful work of traditional arts and crafts absorbing modern artistic expression techniques. Putian ivory carvings are highly decorative and have comprehensive techniques. The works are famous for carving ancient figures. The main representative works include "Pursuit" and "Shi Xiangyun Drunk and Lying in the Peony Bush". Fuzhou jade carvings have a unique charm. The round carvings of landscapes, flowers and birds are lifelike and exquisite in craftsmanship. The jade carvings of "Narcissus" are elegant and lively. They integrate the Shoushan stone carving art into the jade carvings and form a unique style of their own.

Fuzhou horned carvings are famous for their skillful carvings, which often feature dragonflies, shrimps, crabs, summer cicadas, reeds, animals and plants as their themes. Excellent works include "Willow Cicada", etc. The paintings are vivid, transparent, soft and elegant. Bamboo carving is represented by Fuzhou and Zhangzhou. Artists use the "green method" to reduce the calligraphy and paintings of ancient celebrities on bamboo pieces. The knife skills are exquisite and the style is elegant and elegant. The main works include bamboo carving pen holders, hanging couplets, flower arrangements and paperweights. The main producing areas of shell carvings are Pingtan, Dongshan, Fuding and Xiapu. Pingtan shell carvings are made according to materials and strive to integrate shapes, patterns and colors; Dongshan shell carvings are mainly shell bonsai; Fuding shell carvings are combined with lacquerware; Xiapu shell carvings are mainly shell stickers, each with its own characteristics.