[] Chen Yixin takes a photo in front of his work. Chen Yixin, a master of folk crafts in Shatang Town, Xingye County, has done clay carvings, relief carvings and other crafts, but after turning 50, he became famous for his fake stone sculptures.

Xingye County Shatang Town folk craft master Chen Yixin has done clay sculptures, reliefs and other crafts, but after the age of 50, he became famous for his fake stone sculptures. Now 76 years old, he still travels around Yulin, Guigang and Guangdong, maintaining a strong creative passion. He wants to tell his story and express his spiritual pursuit through various sculptures.

strives to be unique in any work he makes.

In the private garden of Mr. Zhu's home in Fumian District , all sculptures are designed and produced by Chen Yixin, and each work has its own characteristics. For example, a fake stone named "Cong Shan Ru Liu", he drew on the most exquisite feature of Chinese landscape painting, "wrinkle, leakage and thinness", and sculpted the fake stone to be exquisite and translucent, yet still majestic and majestic. At first glance, it looks like a lizard crawling under the tree, very realistic. The color and cracks of the stone are enough to "disguise the real thing from the fake".

"Among the folk artists I have come into contact with, he left the deepest impression on me. He never makes a draft when creating, and all his works are sculpted in a smooth and flowing manner. Each work is unique and it is difficult to find similar works." Mr. Zhu said.

The stone sculptures created by Chen Yixin at Shatang Town Central Primary School have become a beautiful scenery on the campus. The unique "stone culture" corridor and stone murals have a natural charm, especially the large stone mountain at the school entrance that is so fake that it made a Yulin craftsman who came here to visit praise him: "The artistic style is unique. The style is grand." There is a saying in the widely circulated micro-movie "To Craftsmanship" by

: "No matter how noisy the world is, the heart of a craftsman is absolutely quiet and stable." This sentence is perfect for Chen Yixin.

Chen Yixin often said: "Crafts are spiritual. When we create, we must treat our works as objects with souls, so that the works can comply with our own intentions and meet their beauty." He feels that a work can reveal the skill of the craftsman with one cut and the many times the craftsman bends his head and polishes it back and forth during creation.

"Whenever I make a work, I will strive to be different." Chen Yixin said that no matter how tight the project schedule is, he must follow the steps step by step, first conceiving the outline of the work in his mind, and then slowly building it.

participated in Shenzhen's " Window to the World " project, and has since become associated with fake stone sculptures.

Chen Yixin, who only has a primary school education, is self-taught. The only "formal education" he received in art was attending a Chinese culture class held by Guixian (now Guigang City) Cultural Center. It was this experience that gave him a profound foundation in painting.

Since the 1980s, Chen Yixin has used a soldering iron to paint on furniture and made a living from it. There were many people who could paint this kind of painting at that time, but Chen Yixin was unique because he was good at using ink painting.

"The characteristic of ink painting is to use the shades of ink to describe the light and color of various objects. It pays attention to the five ink levels of 'burnt', 'dense', 'heavy', 'light' and 'clear'." Chen Yixin said that the paintings he painted on furniture reflected these characteristics. "As long as the furniture is painted by my hand, it is always very popular." Later, Chen Yixin also learned excellent relief techniques from his uncle and became a versatile artist.

In the early 1990s, Chen Yixin, who was already well-known, was hired as a craftsman by a gardening company in Guangdong. "It was this opportunity that gave me the honor to come into contact with fake stone sculptures." Chen Yixin said that not long after he arrived at the company, the company contracted most of the projects of Shenzhen's "Window of the World". He was responsible for relief production and garden design. Due to his work relationship, he often came into contact with the craftsmen who sculpted fake stones.

"I took advantage of this rare opportunity to learn fake stone sculptures from craftsmen." Chen Yixin said that since then, he has devoted himself to studying fake stone sculptures, studying while working, buying back relevant books by himself, and studying hard in the evenings.

"Arts are all interconnected." Chen Yixin, who is highly savvy and diligent, has been able to make fake stone sculptures independently after the company completed the Shenzhen "Window of the World" project. His master praised him as "a scholar with a literate mind and deep insights into sculpture culture."

Even in his seventies, he still maintains abundant creative passion.

Chen Yixin has a motto: "I can't do everything, so I have to keep learning." Whenever he has free time, he practices sketching, painting human bodies and landscapes to maintain his artistic inspiration. He felt that if he didn't read books or write, his brain would deteriorate. No matter where he goes, he likes to go to bookstores and choose books that suit him. He can't live without books every day. "I'm used to it. Not reading is more uncomfortable than not eating."

Now, 76-year-old Chen Yixin still maintains abundant creative passion. As long as someone invites him, he never refuses. "Creation is my lifelong pursuit. Only by creating works can I feel that life is valuable." Chen Yixin likes to always be in a state of creation. Only in this way can he enjoy the happiness brought by art. (Reporter Wang Yaoqian)

Original title: Chen Yixin: With the heart of a craftsman, he still creates more than ever even in his seventies.