Southern Shanxi StoneCarving Art Of Hitching Post

Hitching post, a fixed vertical stone, just as its name implies, is a kind ofpractical instrument used for tying cattle or horses when they were main meansof transport in the past. Hitching post is also called piles or sample piles，because on the basis of meeting the functional requirement, the head or otherparts of the hitching post would be decorated by folk artists.Hitching post, made of a single piece of stone, is often holistically carvedwith great elaborate. As one of the important decoration methods at the entranceof residential architecture, hitching posts are often planted on both sides of thedoors of the wealthy. At the same time, for, more often than not, only thewealthy could own the horses in the past, hitching post is also a symbol ofhousehold wealth.Many things in Chinese traditional culture are endowed with symbolicmeanings, besides their function. This is also true for the hitching post. It isbelieved that the hitching post can protect the house from evil.According to its shape, the hitching post can be divided into threecategories, namely columnar hitching post, hitching stone bound with wall,drum-shaped hitching stone. Although these three types of hitching post havethe same function, due to geographical differences, their shapes and positions inthe building vary.In narrow sense, hitching post refers to the first type, that is, columnarhitching post. Because of the vividness and various models of the carving on thehead of the post and its blessing meaning, columnar hitching post has moreartistic value. So we mainly regard this kind of hitching post as the object ofstudy. Regarding the ontology about hitching post, this article covers the skillfactor, the performance characteristics, aesthetic styles and art themes. As forsculpture skills, hitching post uses multi-fusion techniques by combiningmedallion with line carving, and openwork carvings. Through this, thetraditional techniques of Chinese classical sculpture are at their acme. In termsof performance characteristics, although hitching post belongs to private smallutility sculpture, its artistic performance is unconventional with distinctcharacteristics.Generally speaking, it has creative designs, beautiful style, magnificentmonument and intense interest. In terms of aesthetic interest, the sculpture art ofhitching post has childlike innocence, humor, and various interests, charm andthe carving charming of form itself. And the sculpture art of the hitching postcarries forward the carving skills of Tang and Song dynasties. In terms ofcontent, sculpture of hitching mainly concerns lion, monkey-based animalshapes and the task of lion tamer. Besides, there are still some that are concernedwith plants, buildings, coins, and other content.The third part explores the art sculpture of hitching post from theperspective of cultural backgrounds.From the perspective of architectural attachment object, the hitching postin residential building, as the ornamental column in palaces, can be regard asmarker, talisman and decoration, besides its basic function. More often thannot, the spiritual values of the hitching post are influenced by Chinese traditional ethical code and its corresponding architectural forms.In the light of Chinese traditional stone culture, hitching post embodied asimple positive attitude to life, which is worthy carrying forward. From the pointof view of national integration, the preference theme of how Hu tamed lions inthe sculpture art of hitching post proves mate the two ethnics were in Qin andJin.From the angle of folk culture, the hitching post is entrusted with by itshost the wish of world peace and harmony life, and pursuit of the better socialposition and success in the spirit level. Besides, it is always integrated with therespect feng shui in folk customs. In light of the embodied myth in spirit level,the sculpture art of hitching post entrusts mythological figures the spirit ofphilosophy, showing the clever transfer from metaphysics to physics learning onthe myth.Finally, through the study of the sculpture art of hitching post, thisarticle hopes to draw people’s attention to the status of traditional folk art ofChina, and hopes more people can give more attention and support in protectingfolk arts properly, in inheriting and carrying forward the traditional folk arts.