At the woodcarving factory in southern Hunan, wood chips are flying around. With a focused look in his eyes, 52-year-old Lei Yiguang skillfully maneuvers his carving knife on the wooden board. 

 

As the third-generation inheritor of the woodcarving, this year marks the 40th year since Lei Yiguang began his journey with woodcarving.

 

Born into a family of woodcarvers, his grandfather, Lei Shengyuan, is a well-known folk carving artist in the local area. Under the influence of his family, Lei Yiguang started learning woodcarving at the age of 12.

 

Lei Yiguang said that when he was young, he was fascinated by the beautiful sculptures his grandfather made. He was curious and secretly tried his grandfather’s tools. Instead of criticizing him, his grandfather encouraged him to learn.

 

 

Woodcarving is both a technique and an art. It is easy to learn but difficult to master the craft. Lei Yiguang told reporters that after studying with his grandfather for one or two years, he could carve a piece of work independently. 

 

However, to gain recognition from elders and the industry, it still required a long time of exploration and accumulation. After graduating, Lei Yiguang became a teacher, but he never gave up this craft. 

 

In 1995, in order to further improve his carving skills, Lei Yiguang studied art in Chenzhou for three years, systematically learning professional knowledge about handmade woodcarving. 

 

Under the careful guidance of his teachers and his own repeated copying, Lei Yiguang gradually mastered the woodcarving processes of the three major categories: sacrificial objects, architecture, and furniture. 

 

However, due to long-term pressure of the carving knife, Lei Yiguang’s right fingers have become noticeably deformed, and worn-out knives are a common occurrence.

 

“At the beginning of learning, I worked hard on a piece for half a month or even longer, but accidentally broke it in the end. At that time, I felt very frustrated and thought this work was too difficult and wanted to give up. Later, with the encouragement of my family, I figured it out and persisted.”

 

Despite his passion for woodcarving, Lei Yiguang could only think about the craft and create works in his spare time for many years.

 

In 2004, despite opposition from his family, Lei Yiguang quit his stable teaching job and rented a chicken farm to specialize in woodcarving, which he has been doing for over 40 years. 

 

Unlike the fast-paced digital products today, Lei Yiguang insists on taking his time to produce fine work, often spending an entire day on a single piece. Although it is tiring, for Lei Yiguang, because it is something he loves, he doesn’t care so much about the exhaustion.

 

As one of the folk arts in Hunan, the Xiangnan Woodcarving is characterized by its multi-level hollowing, which is both its biggest feature and challenge.

 

When carving, not only do carvers need to imagine what to do next, but they also need to consider the inner layers of the woodcarving to achieve a layered effect. 

 

Unlike other woodcarvings that are divided into processes such as roughing, finishing, and polishing, this woodcarving requires carvers to be precise and decisive when using their tools. 

 

This not only tests the skill level of a carver but also requires careful consideration of the tools used for carving. In order to create more exquisite works, in addition to conventional tools, Lei Yiguang has also created more than 20 types of tools himself.

 

Lei Yiguang told the reporter that he has about 100 tools of all sizes that he uses himself. Although not every work requires the use of all the tools, some works require special tools to achieve the desired effect, especially when creating multi-level hollow carvings where the inner wood needs to be removed. Therefore, he has to design some unique tools himself.

 

Innovating and inheriting the art of Xiangnan Woodcarving is Lei Yiguang’s relentless pursuit. Xiangnan Woodcarving has a long history, but traditional themes mostly reflect folk fables, mythological stories, etc., and the content and carving style are very similar. 

 

 

In order to better inherit and promote this ancient folk art of woodcarving, Lei Yiguang boldly incorporates his own ideas and modern elements on the basis of absorbing the experience of his predecessors, elevating the craft of his predecessors from a means of making a living to a pursuit of art, making woodcarving art more in line with the aesthetic views of modern people.

 

After years of practice, Lei Yiguang has accumulated rich experience and created thousands of vivid and lifelike works, including birds, flowers, fish, insects, animals, and even sparrows perching on beams. 

 

At the same time, Lei Yiguang has also restored many old woodcarvings. Piece by piece, under his skillful hands, the wood and old objects come to life and shine brightly. 

 

In 2014, Lei Yiguang became a representative inheritor of Xiangnan Woodcarving, and his simple woodcarving workshop has become a heritage base for Xiangnan Woodcarving in Chengzhou City’s intangible cultural heritage. Many customers come from far and wide to visit.

 

Lei Yiguang’s works have also been highly recognized by the industry. He has won awards multiple times in national, provincial, and municipal arts and crafts exhibitions. 

 

In 2014, his multi-layered hollow carving work “Dragon Qi” won a bronze award at the 49th National Arts and Crafts Fair.

 

“We still need to create exquisite works, participate in more exchange exhibitions to expand our influence, and let more people understand our Xiangnan residential woodcarving and make more young people fall in love with this art,” Lei Yiguang said. 

 

Due to historical reasons and the emergence of modern woodworking, there are fewer people willing to devote themselves to learning this craft, and Xiangnan Woodcarving craft is on the verge of being lost. Artists who can master this technique proficiently are even rarer. 

 

Lei Yiguang said that he has already regarded this craft as his lifelong career. Although this road may be difficult, he will persist in passing down the Xiangnan Woodcarving craft.