A Preliminary Study On The Heritage And Development Of Shanghai Style Ivory Carving Under Marking Management System

The history of Ivory carving in Shanghai dates back to four thousand years ago. But after the Opium War, Shanghai was forced to become a port, then the Shanghai style ivory carving really developed because of the increase of material and personnel, reached the peak of artistic brilliance in the late twentieth century. In 1990, China made the promise to stop import African ivory. Because of material deficiency, Shanghai style ivory carving became depression, production and sale stopped, personnel left the business, and there is almost nobody to inherit the carving skills. Since April 2004, Ivory carving and sale were put under control of a marking management system. The remarkable results of the management system received international recognition and China finally achieved the legal status of ivory trading partner with four African countries in 2008, which provide the skill inheriting and cultural conservation of ivory carving with basic ensure of raw material. In this paper, Shanghai style ivory, which is a valuable folk art, carving were deeply analyzed by using methods like reference review, market survey and interview, combined with folklore, aesthetics and history. Based on the exploration of the origins, development and status of Shanghai style ivory carving, we analyzed the basic conditions needed for the heritage of Shanghai style ivory carving, and proposed some strategies and suggestions for the heritage and development of Shanghai style ivory carving in order to improve the heritage and development of China's traditional culture.