Artist produces traditional engravings on slate

China Daily2023-06-09 11:12

Zuo Shiyun makes a stipple landscape on the refined surface of slate with a pen-like metal stylus in Hezhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

　　With a pen-like stylus in hand, Zuo Shiyun can make a picture on the smooth surface of a carefully chosen piece of slate.

　　Yingdiao, or shadow engraving, is one of the top five native art forms in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, dating to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Hezhou. Myriad engraved dots — in a technique known as stipple — form the contour and bring out the contrast of light and shadow as they vary in size, depth and density.

　　Zuo, a 66-year-old retiree from a mining management office in Hezhou, has been doing shadow engraving for 27 years.

　　Zuo Shiyun shows his Yingdiao work at his studio in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

　　He first flirted with the idea of painting on slate after he saw his younger brother cut simple patterns on flat stone with a drill bit in 1996. He was captivated when light showed through the beaten part and presented a picture with contrast. That's when Zuo created his first shadow engraving — a picture of his daughter.

　　"I didn't know back then that what I was doing was Yingdiao art," said Zuo. H wasn't clear about the name of the artform until 1997.

　　When Zuo just started, he was stumped when it came to choosing slate to engrave on. Some stone material failed to show the sharp contrast of light and shadow and gave an undesirable misty effect. Some was too hard, so that the metal stylus was ground round and smooth in little time. It took Zuo many tries to find the perfect stone material, which turned out to be found locally in Fuluo town.

　　Yingdiao, or hand-made shadow engraving. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

　　"You have to get the diamond tip in control because you can't undo or correct it," he said.

　　Zuo has won many awards for his achievements in shadow engraving, including two trophies for craftsmanship at the provincial level. However, instead of feeling complacent and resting on his laurels, Zuo cares about the transmission of his art to the next generation.

　　He dislikes machine-made shadow engravings because they lack the depth and life that an artist can create by hand.

　　Students learn Yingdiao, or hand-made shadow engraving, in Hezhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

　　"With technological advancement, many machine-made shadow engravings have come to the market. But I don't think good work can be mass-produced," Zuo said.

　　He has stuck to his traditional manual art for 27 years and expects that one day he will pass his expertise along.

　　In 2022, Zuo taught shadow engraving at a primary school, and then at a junior high school, in Hezhou.

　　"Learning this skill can be hard because it requires patience and persistence. I'm glad to see that some students truly love shadow engraving, so I'm quite willing to teach them everything I know."