Research On Inheritance And Innovation Of Linxia Brick

Known as Hezhou brick carving in old times, Linxia brick carving originated from Linxia, Hui autonomous prefecture. As early as the Han Dynasty, brick carving craft began to be widely used by local residents. At first it was mainly used to decorate tombs and so on and gradually developed to a carving craft from pure painting, and finally formed the current Linxia brick carving technique. Linxia brick carving is a traditional Chinese architectural element of both art and practical functions, also, it not only reflects the distinctive traditional culture of Hui, Tibetan, Sala and other ethnic minorities, but also contains regional characteristics and landscape of the Yellow River Basin, Northwest Territories. Therefore, it is of great instructive value for modern architecture, art of sculpture, materials engineering, aesthetics and other related fields.Thanks to the rapid development of science and technology, social production materials enjoy big progresses compared with that of the ancient time. Due to the remoteness of Linxia district, its brick carving has not been widely promoted in historical inheritance. As a result, the application market and volume of potential audience are shrinking. Currently there are many places where people do not know the characteristics of Linxia brick carving, or not even heard of it. It is not good for the protection and promotion of traditional culture, neither good for the spread of minority art style. The author believes its easy access to the materials, the solid and firm features of end product and its distinct characteristics make Linxia brick carving of reference and inheritance worth in modern architectural design, landscape design and other fields, especially when catering the ancient design and materials for the modern needs, so the Linxia brick carving should be given more attention and broader application.The paper firstly defined the core concepts and applying scope of Linxia brick carving. Then deeply discussed its artistic styles and made comparisons between Linxia brick carving and other styles of brick carving in details. Thirdly it classified all these mainstream brick carving styles in accordance with the differences of art practices. Then it introduced the major techniques and processes of brick carving technology, elaborated artistic inheritance and artistic features of Linxia brick carving, followed by a specific discussion about the Linxia brick carving craft. After that, White Pagoda attraction in Chengguan District of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province was taken as an example to illustrate the practical application of Linxia brick carving. And from the distribution characteristics and design, the paper analyzed the artistic significance of Linxia brick carving and its status. A further discussion was about the planning goals and concepts of landscape design of White Pagoda Temple and White Pagoda Mountain, among which the important part was the improvement of brick carving application on White Pagoda Mountain, as well as the usage of Linxia brick carving in the landscape design plan of the White Pagoda Temple. Finally were the summary of the project and author’s own research and the prospect of Linxia brick carving, including some practical suggestions about its application in modern architecture and garden decoration.