The picture shows the Cangzhou section of the stone shadow sculpture "A Thousand Miles Canal Map" created by Fang Shiying.

Photo by Liu Tianqi

The picture shows Fang Shiying working on the Beijing section of "A Thousand Miles Canal Map".

Photo by Liu Tianqi

The picture shows Fang Shiying working on the Beijing section of "A Thousand Miles Canal Map".

Photo by Liu Tianqi

　　China News Service, Cangzhou, July 17th (Wang Tianyi Ha Congjie) With the continuous tapping of the two-pound copper chisel, smooth ripples were left on the black granite stone plate, slowly forming the traces of the ship crossing the water surface. , the images of boats, pavilions, etc. have gradually become fuller.

On the morning of the 17th, in his studio in Wuqiao County, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, Fang Shiying, the representative inheritor of the stone shadow carving skills of Hebei provincial intangible cultural heritage project, was working hard to create a scene map of the Beijing section of the stone shadow engraving "A Thousand Miles of Canal Map".

　　As the fifth-generation inheritor of the stone shadow carving technique of Wuqiao in Hebei Province, Fang Shiying said that this is the first time he has described the ancient bridges, culture and art, scenery and landforms and people's life scenes on both sides of the Grand Canal in the form of stone shadow carving.

　　According to Fang Shiying, stone shadow carving is to use tools such as steel cones and copper chisels to tap on the black stone plate, and use different shades of "dots" to outline a vivid black and white gray picture with vivid layers.

This technique originated in the late Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 300 years.

　　"Creating stone shadow carving works is like 'embroidering' on a slate." Fang Shiying said that the strength of the wrist should be used to stabilize the copper chisel when creating, and it should not be offset when struck, let alone make mistakes, because there is no way to wipe and clean it. alter.

While inheriting traditional techniques, Fang Shiying continued to innovate, incorporating photographic optical effects, strengthening the "spiritual resemblance" of stone shadow carving works, and pushing this technique to a new height.

In 2012, her portraits won a gold medal at the first China Intangible Cultural Heritage Traditional Skills Exhibition.

In 2022, Fang Shiying won the title of "Hebei Great Craftsman" Person of the Year in 2022.

　　"In the past two years, with the restoration of the Grand Canal, both sides of the canal have reappeared in the past. Last year, I started to conceive, hoping to 'engrave the prosperous river and leave the imprint of a new era' through stone shadow carving skills." Fang Shiying Said that she spent half a year inspecting the Grand Canal and completed the basic drawing design. At the beginning of this year, she officially started to create the "A Thousand Miles Canal Map".

　　Fang Shiying said that "A Thousand Miles Canal Map" is composed of eight square slates, each 60 cm wide and 120 cm long. Eight typical scenes along the Grand Canal, including Beijing Tongzhou, Tianjin Sanchakou, Shandong Taierzhuang, and Jiangsu Yangzhou, will be passed through. At different points, the canal features in different periods such as Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, Republic of China, and modern times are displayed.

　　At present, the Hebei part of "A Thousand Miles of Canal Map" has been completed. The painting includes artistic images such as martial arts and acrobatics born from the canal, as well as the iconic scenery along the Cangzhou iron lion.

Fang Shiying said that she is currently carving the Beijing part, and the overall carving is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

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