Recently, the 6th Shandong Arts and Crafts Master List was released, and Weifang Brick Carving Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor Shenfang Bridge was selected.

Since his contact with brick carving in 2002, Shenfang Bridge has gone forever on the road of collecting and making brick carving. Now his studio has been filled with Qin bricks and Han tiles. The inheritance of Weifang brick carving culture is faced with the difficulty of lack of inheritors, but Shenfang Bridge has been sticking to this road, "I hope someone can inherit Weixian brick carving."

From "Hot" Nuclear Carving to "Cold" Brick Carving

As the capital of handicraft and folk art and the capital of East Asian culture, Weifang has a long history of folk handicrafts. "Two hundred red stoves, three thousand bronze smiths, nine thousand embroidered women, and one hundred thousand looms." This poem, which has been spread all over the streets and lanes of Weifang, is a classic phrase describing Weifang's modern handicraft industry.

Compared with brick carving, Weixian nuclear carving is more famous, and Shenfang Bridge, born in 1978, turned to the collection and study of brick carving on the basis of learning Weixian nuclear carving. For Shenfang Bridge in the early 1920s, a new track was found.

In 1996, after graduation from Weifang Textile Industry School, majoring in garment design, Shenfangqiao has been engaged in flower art. Once, in a classmate's cultural relic shop, he found a brick under the table. "Carving dragons and drawing phoenix" on the brick attracted the attention of Shenfang Bridge. "This is the beginning of my bond with brick carving." Since then, Shenfang Bridge has paid special attention to brick carving, searching around for "Qin bricks and Han tiles" and pocketing them.

He once learned from two nuclear carving masters, Yin Guodong and Zhang Guohua. Shenfang Bridge has been learning the creation techniques of traditional nuclear carving. Out of his love for Weixian brick carving, he gradually shifted more energy from nuclear carving to brick carving. In 2016, he took his brick carving work "Wanfu Liuyun Brick Carving Swallow Lantern" to China Arts and Crafts Exhibition and won the bronze prize. In the same year, the work won the third prize of Weifang Cultural Creative Design Competition, the Capital of Chinese Painting.

Shenfang Bridge said, "In addition, I once made a model of brick carving of the gate tower. When I exhibited at the Shihu Garden Arts and Crafts Festival, some people wanted to pay for it." After a series of honors, Shenfang Bridge began to think about its own way of transformation. "I can also continue to engage in nuclear carving, but I still can't let go of brick carving. Brick carving is not so famous in Weifang, but I want everyone in Weifang to know that there is brick carving in Weifang."

Collected a room of "Qin bricks and Han tiles"

In the doorway on one side of Dingjiadaokou New Street, Kuiwen District, Weifang City, there are treasures full of Shenfang Bridge. The first floor is the pharmacy opened by his wife, and the second floor is the studio of Shenfang Bridge. Before reaching the second floor, he was attracted by the bricks and tiles on the stairs. The studio on the second floor presents a simple gray tone. A stone table is placed in the middle of the house, bricks are neatly displayed on all sides, and some beautifully carved brick carving handicrafts are also placed everywhere. Walking south along the corridor, facing the window on the street, there is a simple and slightly messy workbench. Shenfang Bridge usually works here.

"There are more than 3000 pieces here, and one fifth of the works are on display." Shenfang Bridge introduces the history of Weixian brick carving. Among these brick carvings, the oldest dates back to the Han Dynasty, and the latest dates back to the middle and late 1980s. It is reported that folk brick carvings in Yangjiabu area of Weifang Cold Pavilion appeared as early as the end of the Ming Dynasty, and became prosperous in the Qing Dynasty. "Early brick carvings were only used for palace, temple and other buildings. With the development of social economy, especially the prosperity of commerce, many large families and official families after economic prosperity boast their wealth and show their culture. The construction and renovation of temples and monasteries have become increasingly focused on building scale and carving decoration." Shenfang Bridge said that during the 300 years of development from the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, it became a common practice for villages and communities in the county to build temples and altars, The houses and courtyards built with bricks and tiles are constantly emerging, and the demand for decorative inlaid brick carvings in gatehouses, screen walls, gable heads, mountain windows, mountain flowers, ridge collars, etc. is huge. Later, people in Weixian County, Shandong Province also introduced brick carving art into their own house buildings to the greatest extent.

A large number of brick carvings stored in Shenfangqiao Studio are from the houses and alleys of Weifang folk houses. "I bought some from antique markets, others from street vendors, and some from old houses in friends' homes." As long as it is brick carving in Weifang, Shenfang Bridge will take care of it. "You should pretend to be careless when buying, otherwise the merchants will deliberately raise the price." Years of experience in "Taobao" has enabled Shenfangqiao not only to master the bargaining skills, but also to study the psychology of the merchants.

Shenfang Bridge told reporters that buying collectibles not only requires money, but also distractions. Once, I found a screen wall with a friend in a village before the Daoguang period, which once attracted multiple buyers. Even the village wanted to get it into the village history museum for free, but it was never sold. "Later, a friend of mine played the emotional card and often went to see the old people in this family with things. Finally, he took down the screen wall worth tens of thousands with 5000 yuan."

On weekdays when there is nothing to do, Shenfang Bridge will take his assistant to the villages around Weifang to collect wind and look for historical traces scattered around the front and back of each house. "Changle, Fangzi, Hanting, Changyi, as long as I'm free, I'll go out for a walk."

The creation principle of "combining practicality with aesthetics"

"Practical and beautiful" is the principle of Shenfang Bridge in the process of creating brick carvings. On the wall on the north side of the studio, five or six brick incense burners are neatly placed. The cover of the incense burner is hollow, and smoke can leak out from the hollow when burning incense, which looks exquisite and beautiful. Shenfang Bridge then showed the production process of these brick carving handicrafts.

He went to the workbench and picked up the carving knife. Little by little, he hollowed out the surplus bricks on the bricks to make them look like hollow patterns. The carving knife touches the brick and makes a rustling sound. Soon, a beautifully carved censer lid appears in front of you. "It takes about three or four days to make such a lid," said Shenfang Bridge.

Shenfangqiao said that being awarded the 6th Shandong Arts and Crafts Master was an inspiration to himself. Now I have four apprentices who will come to the studio to learn brick carving skills with me in their spare time.

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