Study On The Pattern Of Wood Carvings In Bai Nationality In Dali Autonomous Prefecture

The arts and crafts is one of the main carrier of culture among all art forms of China’s ethnic minority due to its practicality. Combining beauty forms and culture, arts and crafts works is the truest reflection of local people’s lives. These works of arts and crafts elaborate the local people’s understanding of beauty, reflect their attitude toward life, recorded history, and even reflect their philosophy and world outlook. The heritage and the development of arts and crafts tell the spirit of Chinese culture and details of development. They also contain valuable information about China’s national amalgamation. The study of arts and crafts is the research on national culture, belongs to exploration of the Chinese culture which tries to understands the essence through the phenomenons, looks for the integration and inheritance of Chinese culture through aesthetic point of view, and studies into the patterns of its formation and development.In China’s encompassing art, we try to reveal the philosophy and worldview of China’s minority groups and explore the spirit of Chinese contemporary and modern art through research into their art. Our research also aims to protect and carry on the art, make artistic forms flourish as an innovation impetus to the development of civilization.In China, each minority group has its own ethnic arts and crafts. Bai’s art and craft has many forms, including tie-dye, copper and silver craft, marble craft, wood-carving, etc. Bai Wood-carving, originated in Jianchuan, also known as "Jianchuan Wood-carving".On June 7,2008, the State Council announced the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage which placed wood-carving into the seventh type of "traditional art (folk art)." On May 23,2011, the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage was announced, in the expanded of which the "Jianchuan Wood-carving" was included. Since, Jianchuan Wood-carving becomes a national intangible heritage itemBai Wood-carving exist in Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Dali, South China’s Yunnan province, including ancient and contemporary architectural wood-carvings, furniture wood-carvings and wood ornaments, etc.. These carvings artworks record the traditional culture and express the national spirit and aesthetic taste of Bai group. Bai wood-carvings have ethnic characteristics in terms of subjects and forms. Diversity of wood-carving art shows richness of Bai culture and the exchange between the Bai and other ethnic groups.This paper tries to classify the art of Bai Wood-carving, starting from studying its patterns,record and interpret the significance of its subjects. In this paper investigates the natural environment, cultural and historical background, and culture blend of Bai wood-carving, so as to explore the evolution, culture and artistic ideas of the art of Bai wood-carving, and therefrom make suggestions to carry on and protect this culture heritage.The first chapter classifies Bai wood-carving in terms of patterns and styles.The second chapter analyzes the natural environmental background of Bai wood-carving. The third chapter analyzes the historical and cultural links of Bai wood-carving. Chapter four studies the influence of Bai wood-carving on Chinese mainstream culture. Chapter Five analyzes from aesthetic point of view. Chapter Six explores and makes suggestions to the protection of Bai wood-carving.As an intangible heritage with long history and profound cultural root, Bai wood-carvings also changes with social-historic development. In contemporary cultural trend of pluralistic integration, Bai wood-carving is becoming pluralistic and shows a feature of unsteady. Thus it’s of vital significance to study the trend and protection of Bai wood-carving, because it belongs to the study of national cultural spirit and inheritance of Chinese culture.