Yangzhou woodcarving craftsman recreates famous Chinese painting

The woodcarving artwork Along the River during the Qingming Festival created by Zhou Shansheng. [Photo/yznews.cn]

Working for two years, Zhou Shansheng, a well-known woodcarving craftsman in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, reproduced the masterpiece Along the River during the Qingming Festival, or Qingming Shanghe Tu, using woodworking techniques.

Zhou bought a piece of jinsi nanmu (a rare type of wood that in ancient times only royal families could afford to use) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in 2016 and started carving.

"It was a delicate job. Before each move, I always tried to calm myself. No carelessness or impetuosity could be allowed," said Zhou.

The woodcarving, with a length of 4 meters and a width of 0.7 meters, shows part of the original painting which is 528.7 centimeters long and 24.8 centimeters wide.

It represents the highest level of woodcarving, one of Yangzhou's intangible cultural heritages.

Along the River during the Qingming Festival is a painting created by Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It captures the daily life of common people and the landscapes of Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, located at today's Kaifeng in Central China's Henan province.

The painting is considered the most renowned works among all Chinese paintings, and is sometimes called "China's Mona Lisa".

Zhou Shansheng works on his wood recreation of Along the River during the Qingming Festival in Yangzhou, on Feb 13. [Photo/yznews.cn]

Zhou Shansheng shows the tools he used to reproduce Along the River during the Qingming Festival in Yangzhou, on Feb 13. [Photo/yznews.cn]