She inkstone making technique, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor

Cai Yongjiang

A contemporary Chinese master of inkstone carving art of classic significance, and an outstanding representative of She inkstone carving techniques. Born in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province in 1969. He learned calligraphy from his father in his childhood and traditional Chinese painting from his maternal grandfather, gradually developing a fondness for the Xin'an School of painting and then for Huizhou. As he grew older, he became involved in stone carving, with a particular fondness for metal and stone.

He began carving She inkstones in 1988, first living in Wuyuan and later moving to Tunxi.

With his diligence and refined artistic temperament, he quickly became the focus of attention in the She inkstone art world, and at the same time cultivated batches of She inkstone carving art talents.

Cai Yongjiang's works present a diverse range of artistic styles to the world. In recent years, he has devoted himself to the study of bas-relief art, creating a large number of Tianhuang and chicken-blood stone works, integrating them with She inkstone bas-relief.

In his more than 20 years of inkstone carving career, he has devoted himself to inheriting the essence of ancient inkstone art, and with ingenuity and artistic courage, he has expanded the new realm of inkstone art aesthetics, contributing a number of new aesthetic creation experiences to the inkstone carving industry that is currently dominated by vulgar trends, thus attracting widespread and strong cultural attention.

Master Zhao Qingtao and Teacher Cai Yongjiang