Brick Carving of Residential Buildings in Shanxi Province: Magic on Fingertips

Qingxu Brick Carving [Photo via the Publicity Department of the CPC Taiyuan Municipal Committee]

Shanxi boasts a long history of brick carving, of which Qingxu brick carving is a representative. In 2008, brick carving (Shanxi brick carving of residential buildings) was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List.

Qingxu County is located in the south of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, with the Fenhe River and the Xiao River flowing through its territory, precipitating a high quality and rich soil that is a good raw material for making brick carvings. Qingxu brick carving of residential buildings, in addition to the good and durable material texture and fancy production techniques, are also made by fine painting and novel knife work.

During the some two hundred years from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, with the rise of Shanxi merchants, Qingxu villages and communities witnessed a popular trend in residential construction and a large demand on brick carving crafts subsequently. By the middle and late Qing Dynasty, there was a small brick kiln in every four villages in Qingxu. The quantity and quality of brick carving works were also improved. Until now, there are still many Qingxu brick carving works remaining intact.

Qingxu Brick Carving [Photo via the Publicity Department of the CPC Taiyuan Municipal Committee]

Qingxu brick carving of residential buildings in Shanxi Province has a strong sense of folklore culture. It is close to the people's lives and expresses their concern for the value of life, their hope for family prosperity and their desire for a rich life in a simple and straightforward artistic language.