Chinese art of leaf carving shines in Russia

Elena, a cultural ambassador of Shanxian county – located in Heze city in East China's Shandong province – is a teacher at Moscow-based FinU, or the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

She recently organized an exhibition of Chinese leaf carving in the Russian city of Penza, which attracted the participation of students, faculty members, as well as Chinese culture enthusiasts and experts.

Leaf carving is a traditional Chinese art form that involves intricately carving patterns onto fallen leaves. As a very special intangible cultural heritage item with a recorded history spanning over 2,000 years, leaf carving blends techniques such as painting, micro-carving, paper cutting, calligraphy and even seal engraving.

For the event, Elena curated a collection of exquisite leaf carving works from China, inviting attendees to appreciate these creations depicting prominent Chinese figures, historical events and classic animal images.

The works earned praise for their three-dimensional quality and vivid storytelling.

Elena (Right) talks about leaf carving works at the exhibition. [Photo by Zhu Shuhua for chinadaily.com.cn]

Overall, beyond being a special display of traditional Chinese leaf carving in Russia, the event served as a vehicle for promoting Chinese culture abroad.

Through these intricately crafted leaf carvings, which carry tales from China, the Russian audience was said to be able to gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual richness and modern values embedded in Chinese traditional culture. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)