Jade World - Four major schools of carving

In the martial arts world, every sect that has grown and prospered has its own characteristics and unique skills. The same is true in the jade world. There are four major schools in the world, which are famous for their exquisite and unique carving skills. Let us see what skills they use to thrive in this jade world.

Southern School

"Southern School" refers to jade carvings in Guangdong and Fujian. Due to the long-term influence of bamboo, wood, ivory carving techniques and Southeast Asian culture, they are also unique in the carving of hollow carvings, multi-layered jade balls and high-end jade jewelry. The shapes are plump, the echoes are vivid, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, forming a "Southern School" art style. "Jieyang workers" are their representative. The characteristics of the "Southern School" include: being good at hollow carving and multi-layer jade balls, utensils (plain work), miscellaneous items (animals, flowers, etc.), flowers and birds, and figure carving.

Northern School

"Northern School of Jade Carving" refers to the carving style formed by jade carving masters in Beijing, Tianjin and Liaoning. The characteristics of "Northern School" jade carving are solemnity, simplicity and elegance. The most outstanding are the "Four Weirdos and One Demon" in Beijing. The "Four Weirdos and One Demon" are: Pan Bingheng, famous for his group portraits and thin-walled craftsmanship; Liu Deying, renowned for his three-dimensional round flower carvings; He Rong, famous for his round carvings of Buddhas, deities and ladies; Wang Shusen, admired for his elegant and graceful "flower piece" jade pieces; and Zhang Yunhe, also known as "Bird Zhang".

Yunnan School

The "Yunnan School" refers to the area around Ruili in Yunnan, which focuses on realism, grandeur and naturalness. Yunnan jade carving has a long history. As early as more than 2,400 years ago, malachite, white jade bracelets and other Yunnan-style handicrafts had already entered the mainstream. Ruili, a gathering place for jade carvers in Yunnan, has attracted a large number of jade carvers from all over the country since the 1990s. They regard Ruili as an art palace of creative design, and formed the "Ruili Craftsmanship" that combines the strengths of northern and southern jade carving techniques, becoming one of the most influential schools in the national jade carving industry.

Suyang School

The "Suyang School" refers to the area around Jiangsu and Huaiyang, and its characteristic is that its jade carvings have an antique flavor. The words "long history" and "excellent" are the most appropriate to describe Suyang craftsmanship. The jadeite carved by the masters of the Suyang School has smooth lines and steady knife skills, while at the same time, one can appreciate the strong classical charm, truly living up to the principle of “objects carry the truth and jade cultivates virtue”.

Who wouldn’t envy the joyful life in the world of martial arts? The world of jade is just as joyful. Which craft style do you like best?

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