Purple Jade Show Chinese Characteristics-Qiyang Stone Carving Art Research

As a traditional handicraft in southwestern area of Hunan Province of China,Qiyang stone carving art has survived from ancient times.As identify awareness of Chinese local culture awakens,the research about the Qiyang stone carving shows great significance in theoretical and practical levels.“Delicate materials and gorgeous handicraft” are basic elements for aesthetic value of Qiyang stone carving art.From the perspective of material characteristics,Qiyang stones show natural aesthetic attractiveness in overlapping colors.With low hardness,Qiyang stones are selected as choice materials by local people for carving.Due to poor aesthetic perception in textures,Qiyang stones are different from ordinary ornamental stones.Thy integrates practicality and aesthetics into a single whole in terms of the aesthetic pattern.From the perspective of processing characteristics,Qiyang stone carving art is well known for its carving pattern on basis of original textures and colors.Such carving uses original texture characteristics of colors to design different patterns and shapes.Patterns of Qiyang stone carving art include four symbol systems,namely abstract symbols of points,lines and surfaces,character symbols of traditional calligraphy,object symbols of plants and flowers,as well asnarration symbols of figure stories.These symbols represent the emotional world of sky,earth and people.Decoration themes of these patterns mainly involve luckiness,mountains,water,morals of literate men,and ethnic principles.Local emotional appeal of life forms up concrete contents of Qiyang stone carving art.Confucian aesthetics dominates over its internal aesthetic conceptual system and Taoism aesthetics is placed at a minor supplementary place.This makes Qiyang stone carving art show various forms in interaction of Confucian and Taoism aesthetics.Qiyang stone carving art in modern times need to explore active and feasible approaches for inheritance by referring to local historical culture,developing stone materials in reasonable ways,and maximizing local processing characteristics.It is crucial for Qiyang stone carving art to make innovation pattern design carry modern social feelings.