Lu Guangzheng: Chinese arts and crafts masters, handicraft masters in Asia Pacific, the first batch of representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage, Dongyang Wood Carving is one of the Chinese folk carving arts. It is named after it is produced in Dongyang,

is sketched by Mr. Lu Guangzheng. Painting: Jia Zheng

Jia Zheng: Hello Mr. Lu! In contemporary times, when it comes to the inheritance and revitalization of Dongyang wood carvings, you are inseparable from your Lu Guangzheng's name. You are the first masters of arts and crafts in New China and the leader in the Chinese wood carving industry. From the initial elementary apprentice to the current master of arts and crafts, how did you enter the wood carving industry and work hard for more than 60 years?

Lu Guangzheng: First of all, thanks to the Dragon magazine for paying attention to the inheritance of Dongyang wood carving culture. The reason why I walked towards the road of wood carving was very accidental. No one in my family is engaged in the wood carving industry, not a wood carving family. My father is a tailor, dealing with fabrics every day, and my mother carries housework at home. Although I often saw wood carvings in schools, ancestral halls, etc. when I was a child, I also knew that wood carvings looked good, but I did not pursue carvings. Instead, I liked music and painting more, especially music. Dongyang Wu Opera, playing flute, and lajinghu were filled with my childhood dreams. At that time, I often wrote some small music scores, yearning to be a musician in the future. Once, the teacher took us to visit the Dongyang Cultural Center and middle school. At that time, I felt that music must require high-level teachers to teach, but I couldn’t do it in the valley. I felt that there was no hope for the development of music, so I decided to learn painting and study sculpture. Because I often painted some publicity murals in the village, the township chief was very optimistic about me and said that Dongyang wanted to open a wood carving school, and suggested that I take the exam to learn wood carving. It just fits my hobby, so I signed up for the exam and successfully passed the exam. At that time, it was more enviable to go to a wood carving technical school than to go to college. The average office worker earned 30 yuan a month. I had a monthly subsidy of nine yuan at a young age, and I could also convert it into urban household registration to eat commercial grain.

After two years of study, I entered Dongyang Wood Carving Factory. The leaders attached great importance to it and took me as the key training target. The master asked me to be proficient in all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and I made up my mind to learn the skills well.A fifteen or sixteen-year-old child is playful and active. He has many activities in addition to work. It is not easy to calm down and study the business. He always feels that he has no time, but how can he improve if he doesn’t study? I set a rule for myself: start studying at 10 o'clock every night and learn until 12 o'clock. Working during the day and studying at night, I can't bear it. Sometimes I collapsed on the bed with exhaustion and heard the wooden stairs ringing. It was the master who came upstairs to check. I immediately jumped up and cheered up and continued to draw.

The belief of "learning skills" always controls me, but I still can't completely stop my playfulness. What should I do? In order to strengthen my belief, I cut my index finger with a knife and wrote four big words on white paper with blood: "Strive to be the first." I hung the "blood book" behind the mosquito net, and I could see it every time I lie down. In order to "strive to be the first", I had to study hard. These four characters were red at first, but later turned purple and black. In spring, the air was humid, and the blood characters grew hairy and turned white. "Bloody" inspired me for several years, and my hard work paid off. Gradually, I was able to memorize the entire album intact and work hard on the plain drawing and line drawing, and I could draw anything at will. When I went out and saw a mountain, I couldn't help but want to draw it on paper; I never got idle when I took the train, and I drew whatever I saw, recording the shapes and movements of passengers... I just drew it day after day, all of which were imprinted in my mind. Later, I basically didn't need to read the information again when I created it. From writing a blood book to achieving success, it depends on continuous practice and accumulation. It is not possible to not practice. No matter how smart or talented you are, you can only have hard work and creativity if you practice too much.

Since I went to technical school, the country has invested a lot of money on me, and it was the country that trained me. Thank you for your cultivation and thank you for your attention to arts and crafts. I have traveled all over the world more than 30 or 40 years ago. The country sent us out to study. Through the understanding and digestion of foreign cultures and technologies, it has greatly helped our Dongyang wood carving innovation, design and other aspects.

Mr. Lu Guangzheng's Dongyang wood carving work "Pine and Crane in Spring"

Jia Zheng: It is said that Dongyang wood carving began in the Tang Dynasty, developed in the Song Dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and has a history of more than 1,300 years. In recent years, major museums and APEC conference venues in China, G20 summit venues, BRICS conference venues, "Belt and Road" summit forum venues, etc., have been widely presented by Dongyang wood carvings in every major home diplomatic event venue. Why can Dongyang wood carvings be known as the "national treasure"?

Lu Guangzheng: First of all, Dongyang wood carving has a brilliant history, and its themes are extracted from all over the world, creating colorful architectural decoration, furniture and religious supplies. When I first entered the industry, my senior told me that more than 400 Dongyang wood carving craftsmen came to Beijing to build the Forbidden City in the Qing Dynasty, and their works involved palaces, dragon chaises, decorations, etc. Later, I had the opportunity to check the information at the Forbidden City. Although the total number of people is questionable, it was confirmed that dozens of Dongyang wood carving masters played an important role in the Forbidden City. Second, Dongyang Wood Carving is unique in the Chinese wood carving industry with its artistic style of full and atmospheric composition, rich and delicate layers, realistic and vivid images, exquisite workmanship, exquisite and elegant, and perfect combination of appreciation and practicality. Third, Dongyang wood carving can keep pace with the times with the development of the times and changes in fashion, and continue to develop through inheritance and innovation, leading the trend of Chinese wood carving, greatly enhancing the popularity and reputation of Dongyang wood carving, and becoming one of the best folk crafts of the Chinese nation and the business card of Chinese traditional culture.

Jia Zheng: In the early days of the founding of New China, Dongyang wood carvings frequently appeared in important places at home and abroad due to their elegant style and superb skills. Although the sales volume is large, Dongyang wood carvings at that time always had a major defect, and they would inevitably crack or break if they were more than two meters in size. At that time, this saying was circulated in the industry that Dongyang wood carving could only be used as a "small trick of carving insects".How do you make Dongyang wood carving go from a "small trick of carving" to a business card of a big country today?

Lu Guangzheng: In 1980, Dongyang Wood Carving General Factory took over the wood carving decoration project of a hotel in Singapore. I organized more than a dozen colleagues to design and produce twelve hanging screens that are 12 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. They were praised by then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as the best architectural wood carving decoration in Singapore so far, which caused a sensation in Dongyang wood carving overseas again. But soon, due to climate and other issues, many large works cracked, and the reputation of Dongyang wood carvings faced challenges. Because Dongyang wood carvings received extremely high attention before, the cracking problem immediately caused an uproar in the industry, believing that large-scale wood carvings cannot be made, wood carvings cannot be made into murals, wood carvings have shortcomings, etc., all kinds of doubts are endless. I was under great pressure at that time, so I decided to solve this problem that had plagued Dongyang wood carving for thousands of years. Once I saw workers folding a screen to prepare to pack it, which gave me a great inspiration. In the past, Dongyang wood carvings were carved on a board, so I tried to break the whole into pieces and then assembled. After countless experiments over the years, I finally found a solution. The image was divided into several units according to the composition. Each unit uses an independent plate, and there are gaps between the plates to prevent thermal expansion and contraction. I call this new craft a multi-layer carving. This process is not a simple pattern stacking and superposition, but it must consider both the layout of the picture and the degree of firmness. In 2001, Hangzhou City was going to rebuild Leifeng Pagoda. I used multi-layer carving technology to make large walls on six sides. More than ten years have passed and still remained intact, without a crack. Since then, many large-scale wood carvings have been created in Hangzhou Louwailou, the Great Hall of the People, the China Finance and Taxation Museum and other places. Dongyang wood carving is no longer a "carving trick".

Jia Zheng: Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the important role of "innovation" in China's comprehensive deepening of reform and development. "Change and innovation are the fundamental driving force for the development of human society. Whoever rejects change and refuses innovation will lag behind the times and will be eliminated by history." How do you understand the changes and innovation of innovation in the fields of traditional culture and traditional folk crafts?

Lu Guangzheng: Traditional handicrafts are a treasure of China's excellent traditional culture and a historical wealth passed down from past times. It has accumulated the essence of different historical eras, retained the most concentrated national characteristics, is a living inheritance of national history, is a part of the national soul, and is the source of modern art design. However, with the development of social economy, the popularization of modern design concepts, and the changes in living conditions, these factors have affected the survival and development model of traditional handicrafts. Traditional handicrafts cannot sit still and wait for death and gradually disappear, but should continue to innovate and develop. In the new era of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, there will be a dead end without innovation and you cannot rely on your old capital. It is necessary to apply the technical advantages retained by the older generation to the new era to create an artistic expression form that is suitable for the new era and new situation and conforms to the aesthetic trend of the market. Traditional craftsmen should be included in the innovation system and enhance the innovation ability of traditional craftsmen. We must take inspiration from the craft culture and provide creativity for the development of design derivatives. We must improve people's awareness of traditional handicraft culture and cultivate the market.

Jia Zheng: The acceleration of 's modernization process has brought a fatal impact on traditional arts and crafts. Why is Dongyang wood carving not only not affected, but its development trend is getting better and better?

Lu Guangzheng: Since modern times, dozens of Chinese wood carving schools that have led the way across the country have risen and fallen. To this day, only a handful of three or five schools such as Dongyang wood carving are still there. The reason why Dongyang wood carving can achieve today's glory is certainly the crystallization of the wisdom of Dongyang wood carving artists who have been constantly striving for generations, and it is also an embodiment of Dongyang's "Three Townships and One City" culture. Dongyang is located in central Zhejiang and is affiliated to a prefecture-level city in Jinhua and has a history of more than 1,800 years. "Seven mountains, two waters and one part of the field", there are few fields and agricultural production is difficult, which has forced the people of Dongyang to attach importance to education and craftsmanship, "respecting literature and education, and being good at craftsmanship", carpentry, mud and tiles, paint... Dongyang's high-level craftsmen are spread all over the country and are known as the "hometown of all craftsmen".Today, Dongyang combines the hometown of education, architecture, arts and crafts, and cultural film and television cities. In the field of arts and crafts, the most representative one is wood carving, with a large number of people and a large industry, and was selected as the "World Wood Carving Capital" by the World Handicraft Council. Based on the large-scale wood carving processing, display and sales base, unique location and transportation, and the industry event with merchants gathering has enabled Dongyang wood carving to be well inherited and developed.

Jia Zheng: In the more than 60 years since you picked up the carving knife, you have experienced the changes and ups and downs of Dongyang wood carving. Under your leadership, Dongyang wood carving has developed from a small process of earning 70 to 8 million yuan in foreign exchange, becoming a large industry with an annual output value of nearly 20 billion yuan. How did you lead Dongyang wood carving to usher in the glory of a new era?

Lu Guangzheng: Dongyang Wood Carving Factory had more than 600 people in the early days. When I was the factory director, it grew to more than 1,700 people. At that time, it mainly relied on exports, and exported to more than 80 countries and regions. The price was seven to eight times higher than domestic sales. The factory was booming and was a major foreign exchange earner. After the reform and opening up, a large number of foreign investors flocked in. They discovered a huge intermediate price difference, so they offered generous conditions to "poach people" and set up factories to produce directly in China. Our original export model has been severely impacted and the factory operation is in trouble. How to get out of the predicament? Only innovation. We propose that wood carving should be combined with modern architecture, modern decoration and modern furniture furnishings to gradually open up the domestic market. Dongyang wood carvings are the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage, and I am the first batch of representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage. Inheriting intangible cultural heritage cannot be inherited for the sake of inheritance. We must respect market laws, develop in the market, innovate in development, and inherit in innovation. Dongyang wood carving can be brilliant again mainly because it is inherited through innovation, expanding the market on the one hand and cultivating talents on the other. Dongyang Wood Carving currently has a good overall situation, leading its domestic peers, but there is still a lot of market space to dig.

Mr. Lu Guangzheng's Dongyang wood carvings "Go to the Book of the Book of Changes"

Jia Zheng: What are the current difficulties as Dongyang wood carvings approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list?

Lu Guangzheng: In history, from imperial palaces and temples to local residential areas, wood carvings in Dongyang are everywhere, wealthy families marry their daughter "Ten Miles of Red Makeup", and ordinary families marry their daughter "Yi Miles of Red Makeup". In the early days of reform and opening up, Dongyang wood carving exports flourished, but the consumers of that era were old and the younger generation was not interested. What should we do? Today is different from the past. There are still many difficulties and arduous things in front of us. A typical example is that the wood carving industry is shrinking gradually, and high-quality products that conform to market laws are relatively scarce, and the overall innovation ability of the industry is not strong enough. Any artwork that carries practical functions has its own characteristics in different periods. It has the Han Dynasty style in the Han Dynasty and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, so each generation must have its own characteristics. In the new historical stage, we should create works of art that are recognized by the people, liked by the people, and play a practical role in life in the new era. Therefore, we must insist on creating and innovation. Only innovation can lead to a market. We must inherit tradition and inherit good things, but more importantly, constantly innovate on the basis of inheritance. Now I have two main aspects of work. First, create some works that meet the needs of the current society and innovate some work designs. Another is to cultivate more young masters, focusing on exploring young talents who love Dongyang wood carving, this art, and are willing to devote themselves to this industry, cultivate them to make technological progress, impart experience in innovation and creation, and teach them to create different works according to different eras.

Jia Zheng: You have mentioned young talents many times and cultivated successors of wood carving. What measures does Dongyang wood carving take to cultivate the new generation of strength?

Lu Guangzheng: Whether it is to explore the domestic market or regain the overseas market, it must rely on innovation. Innovation depends on the elderly and the young. At present, the industry development is still relatively good. The main point is that the country is now cultivating the next generation of new forces and cultivating young people through various forms and methods. We can inherit our tradition. Dongyang wood carving will develop better and better in the future.Dongyang is currently focusing on cultivating wood carving successors, and multiple training models are in parallel. In addition to the traditional "master leads apprentice" model, the training models of technical colleges have also been very complete, including technical secondary school and junior college education. Every year, hundreds of people study wood carving at the school systematically. According to the characteristics of the major, you can apply for the exam after graduating from junior high school and study for five consecutive years until you graduate from junior college. This allows a group of young people to enter the wood carving industry. In the past, even our wood carving craftsmen's children went to college step by step. Now that we have a wood carving major in college, young people can learn both skills and go to school, and there is even more room for choosing a wood carving career.

Jia Zheng: talents are inheritance and the foundation. What artistic essences do you need to master to become a Dongyang wood carving master?

Lu Guangzheng: The so-called master must not only be good at inheritance and creation, but also have the ability to innovate and create. Dongyang wood carving is object art, and object art must keep pace with the times. To do a good job in Dongyang wood carving, first, you must have a strong painting foundation, second, it must have excellent carving technology, and third, you must understand knowledge in various aspects such as architecture. For example, if we want to decorate in the Forbidden City, the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum, we must understand all aspects of the architectural structure. The works you design and carved are both handicrafts and works of art, and they are also a component on the building. What role does this component play, its load capacity and firmness, how many components need to be combined, and it cannot destroy the integrity of the building, etc., all require a lot of professional knowledge. In terms of furniture, you must know the furniture style of religious Buddhist temples, the furniture style of venues and exhibition halls, what customs and habits the masses in different cultural areas have, etc. In terms of carving, to express characters, one must have a foundation for painting characters. To express mountains, rivers, flowers and birds, one must understand the expression methods of mountains, rivers, flowers and birds, and must be proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, various cultures, various concepts, etc., because wood carvings need to be carved out with one knife and must not be careless.

"The Brilliant Chapter of the Silk Road" - "Chinese Dream" Lu Guangzheng appeared in the National Museum of Dongyang Wood Carving Exhibition for 60 years in the art and was held at the National Museum

Jia Zheng : "One Belt and One Road" has brought multiple development opportunities to China's economy, and at the same time has brought unprecedented market development opportunities to Dongyang Wood Carving. How will Dongyang wood carvings take advantage of the east wind of the "Belt and Road" to re-enter the international stage and further carry forward it?

Lu Guangzheng : On December 28, 2017, the "Silk Road Glory Chapter" Dongyang Wood Carving Exhibition" hosted by the National Museum of China, China Arts and Crafts Association, China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association and Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture opened at the National Museum of China. In this exhibition, we have exhibited nearly 100 fine wood carvings with the theme of the "Belt and Road" initiative. Through the three chapters of "Preface - Chinese Dream", "Part 1 - Silk Road Memories", and "Next - On the Road of Rejuvenation", we spread the spirit of the Silk Road, express the feelings of the family and country, praise the great era, and hope for national rejuvenation. This exhibition is not only a display of my own works, but also a way to promote the Dongyang wood carving and mahogany furniture industry to countries and regions along the "Belt and Road", explore international markets, find a fulcrum for the Dongyang wood carving industry to take off again, and lay the foundation for the Dongyang wood carving brand. Since General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the "Belt and Road" initiative in 2013, it has received warm responses from countries along the route and has produced fruitful results. The deep sense of national pride has made me full of creative passion and inspiration. Using wood carvings to show the historical picture of the ancient Silk Road, the achievements and significance of the "Belt and Road" and the spirit of the Silk Road is my responsibility as a inheritor of Dongyang wood carving intangible cultural heritage. In the future, I will plan to exhibit in Russia, Türkiye and other countries, so that Chinese traditional culture can continue to be carried forward along the "Belt and Road".

Jia Zheng: The grand theme creation of "The Brilliant Silk Road" contains many modern and international themes that the wood carving world has never been involved in. The largest work "Chinese Dream" is 20.8 meters long, 3.08 meters high, and 25 centimeters thick in carving, setting the best wood carving carving. This is all innovation and sublimation of traditional Dongyang wood carving techniques.Adhering to inheritance and being determined to innovate, the creative process of the "Silk Road Race" theme exhibition is the best interpretation and inheritance of the Silk Road spirit, and it is also your accumulation of Dongyang wood carving culture and skills over the past 60 years.

Lu Guangzheng: Dongyang wood carving culture and wood carving skills have been passed down for thousands of years, with a deep industrial foundation, a gathering of arts and crafts talents, and a complete industrial platform. In recent years, the integration of wood carving and mahogany and the widespread use of architecture have promoted the vigorous development of Dongyang wood carving and mahogany industry. The frequent appearances at international events have proved the unique charm of Dongyang wood carving and mahogany. The report of the 19th National Congress pointed out that we should strengthen cultural confidence and promote the prosperity of socialist culture. In my opinion, this is conducive to promoting the inheritance, innovation and development of Dongyang wood carving and mahogany industry and returning to the international stage is just the right time. Through the carvings of 128 characters from fifty-six ethnic groups, the work "Chinese Dream" reflects the contemporary style of the Chinese nation working hard to govern, striving for strength, and children of all ethnic groups working together to build the "Chinese Dream". The works that everyone recognizes are the works that you are satisfied with. Dongyang wood carving products were exported to the world decades ago, when the main consumers were overseas Chinese. Now, I hope to rely on the "Belt and Road" platform to truly move Dongyang wood carvings into the world through research and efforts. At the same time, we must cultivate sculpture talents with cultural knowledge and artistic level, so that the entire industry can develop better and better. This is my own "Chinese Dream".

"The Brilliant Chapter of the Silk Road" - Lu Guangzheng has been in the Dongyang Wood Carving Exhibition for 60 years in art

Jia Zheng: When artists are paying attention to art prices today, how do you judge the relationship between art value and art prices?

Lu Guangzheng: Art works gain prices in the art market, which to a certain extent affirms the value of artists, is conducive to artists' artistic creation, and promotes the reflection of artists' artistic value and the widespread dissemination of art. However, in the process of commercialization of art, when prices become the purpose of artistic creation, many people are profitable, resulting in more and more shoddy works flooding the people's vision and life. We should bring art to the market and we cannot give up our lofty pursuits in the field of art with the original intention of making huge profits. As an artist, we must fully reflect the value of art, not in price. We must take every work seriously and carefully craft it so that the people like it. We cannot do a lot of shoddy things to sell to the market. To master a work with truly artistic value, it takes years of study and research, improve techniques and sublimate artistic concepts. This is the same as being a human being. We must constantly improve our artistic level and artistic attainments, improve our comprehensive quality, and not be ostentatious. We must always devote ourselves to creation and treat every work as a work of art.