Dezhou master craftsman brings wooden carvings to life

When master craftsman Wang Hengdong – located in Wucheng county, in Dezhou city in East China's Shandong province – uses a simple carving knife and wood, exquisite carved works appear.

Some years ago, Wang encountered a carving work by chance and he quickly fell in love with the art. In 2013, Wang Hengdong began studying under Fan Wenfeng, a renowned artist from the China National Arts and Crafts Society.

The carving technique is easy to learn but difficult to master, with a great deal of difficulty in making a good job, said Wang Hengdong.

Wang Hengdong focuses intently on creating a carving. [Photo for chinadaily.com.cn]

During his early learning period, Wang put the focus on practicing his knife skills. Due to the high price of wood, he used olive stones for training and often sat in front of the workbench for several hours at a time.

With the growing improvement of his skills, Wang shifted from olive stone carving to wood carving. The production of a single piece involves multiple processes such as selecting the material, the design, a rough sketch and polishing.

Wang's vivid and interesting carvings bring him a constant stream of orders. Nowadays in Wang's studio, all kinds of shapes and sizes of carvings are displayed on the shelves. (Edited by Chen Chuxuan)

Some wonderful woodcarving works from Wang Hengdong. [Photo for chinadaily.com.cn]