Creating a cultural identity

Intricate skills and an eye for exquisite detail are required for this delicate artwork, but the technique is in danger of dying out Hu Meidong reports from Xiamen and Wang Qingyun reports in Beijing

Chen Kongguo was working on a piece of carving the size of his palm in a crudely decorated workshop in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, in December.

He was carving a miniature traditional Chinese garden, featuring rocks of unusual shapes, pavilions and an arch bridge. The carving, along with dozens of others on the desk that were finished, are the fruits of the skills that he has spent more than four decades honing.