Shanghai Daily News

Xu Xiaoyong sees it as his responsibility to save the ancient Chinese art of wooden carving from extinction. To do so, he has recently opened an art gallery in Minhang District to display his wooden carvings of "bodhisattva" or Buddha in English.

Born into a poor family, the Jiangxi Province native spent his childhood playing with mud. "My only toy was mud," the craftsman said. "Because my family couldn't afford to buy me any toys, I had to play with mud. I molded it into different shapes, such as animals and objects. My creations were popular with the village children."

Xu's mother gradually discovered her son had a special talent for sculpting. When he turned 19, she asked if he wanted to learn about wood carving at a workshop in Nanchang City, capital of Jiangxi Province.

To learn his new craft, Xu, who is quiet by nature, often worked hard into the wee hours at his woodwork. For his efforts, he was praised by his teachers for his excellent work. After three years of study, he had mastered his skills and graduated top of his class.

"When I found out that many Chinese folk crafts were on the edge of disappearing, I said to myself 'I really should do something.' I then devoted myself to learning wood carving as my career."

Starting in 1993, Xu continued his studies in Shanghai with four years of night school. After this financially difficult period, his work started to gain recognition, particularly overseas. His Buddha carvings were sent abroad for exhibit in Singapore, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Soon, his name was familiar with foreign collectors because of his detailed work. Many businessmen and temple officials contacted him and asked for more pieces.

Originally, about 50 of his works were sold abroad each year. However, in recent years, the number has increased dramatically.

"It is a much hotter market overseas," Xu said. "However, the situation is different here. Less people like the traditional crafts and few care about it. But it is our cultural wealth and we have a duty in keeping it alive from generation to generation."

Realizing that few young people have any interest or knowledge about such handicraft, Xu has taken on a new role in recent years, that of a teacher.

He currently teaches wood carving to about 50 students each day and discusses their difficulties with them. With the school now successfully operating locally for the past four years, Xu decided last year to open an art gallery to display his own works for free to visitors.

The opening of the Shi Moxuan Art Gallery, located in Babylon Square at 1000 Xinsong Road, has been important for increasing awareness about wood carving and many locals have shown an increased interest in the ancient craft.

Xu estimates that he has welcomed more than 2,000 people to the gallery since opening late last year. Many visitors have shown a keen interest in the art with some spending a whole afternoon looking around his shop.

"It's really a wonderful place," said Wang Jinshen, a designer with an interior design company. "I've been here twice. Each time, the works here leave me with a deep impression and a completely new understanding of such art. Each of the pieces can 'talk' here."

Xu said he cherished his art and the gallery very much. "Some of the works are not for sale. I hope what I am doing can help the craft survive in the future."