As a master artist who came from the fields, Xu Yanfeng is the inheritor of a traditional technique called "sorghum stalk carving," originating from Yongqing, Hebei Province.
He uses sorghum stalks as a raw material, binding and carving various artifacts by hand with no glue or nails, sharing the wisdom of ancient Chinese architecture and the beauty of agricultural civilization with the world.
At the age of 11, Xu got a katydid cage by chance, which inspired his interest in reproducing things with sorghum stalks.
When he was 14 years old, he modeled after a New Year's painting of Tiananmen Square, using more than 700,000 sorghum stalks to make the replica, which took him 3 years and 7 months.
In 1982, this work was selected as a national gift for Nagano Prefecture in Japan, thereby becoming a medium for cultural exchange between Chinese and foreign cultures.
Xu's creation requires no drawings. He can precisely reproduce the structure of a building using only a photograph.
The diameter of each straw is calibrated with vernier calipers, with an error of no more than 0.3 millimeters. The precision of the groove carving is controlled within 0.2 millimeters, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of parts fit together perfectly.
This technique is not only highly praised by domestic experts but also attracts international attention.
Corner Tower of the Forbidden City, the Yellow Crane Tower, the Tengwang Pavilion...... Xu has created nearly 80 pieces of work, each of which needs precise calculations in tens of thousands of sorghum stalks.
His works have been honored by UNESCO as "one of the best in China and unique in the world". The work Yellow Crane Tower even won an award at the Canadian International Exposition.
Xu confessed that there had been many admirers had come but left eventually, because they were unable to endure the solitude and distress associated with mastering this technique.
Fortunately, his children took over the carving knife in his hands and inherited this exquisite technique. Xu firmly believes that if someone is willing to sink their teeth into it, the miracle of sorghum straw will never disappear.
(Translator: Zheng Xiaoyi; English editor: Darius)
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