Woodcarver makes mythical creature for Year of the Dragon

Yu Kaiwen works on his prized wooden baby dragons. [Photo by Hao Peiru for chinadaily.com.cn]

As the Chinese New Year fast approaches, many cultural products featuring dragons have emerged and among them a series of woodcarvings of baby dragons by Yu Kaiwen – a young woodcarving inheritor in Weifang city, in East China's Shandong province – have won acclaim and awards.

Yu's works, which blend traditional and modern design elements, are both cute and meaningful. He's designed four types of baby dragons, each with different colors and symbols to express good wishes for the new year.

The baby green dragon was inspired by the earliest existing coiled dragon woodcarving in China, representing strength and wisdom. The baby red dragon symbolizes auspiciousness and prosperity, with a "福" character on its chest signifying happiness and peace. The other two types of baby dragons also have their own unique features and charms.

Yu said he hoped his works could convey the profound meaning of traditional culture and make woodcarving a beautiful expression of people's feelings. He also wants his works to fly off abroad and become a cultural calling card of Weifang. (Edited by Fan Yuanyuan)