What are the origins and artistic features of wood pyrography?

Pyrography is a kind of craft painting made by branding fan bones, combs, wooden furniture and paper silk with a special iron pen. Also called "hot painting", "fire painting", "fire pyrography" and "pyrography". Legend has it that it was built in the Qing Dynasty. Produced in Henan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. Before liberation, pyrography in Nanyang, Henan Province was baked on an oil lamp by imitating an iron pen with iron wire, and only small daily necessities such as chopsticks, rulers and wooden combs could be made. After liberation, the manufacturing technology and tools were reformed, from "oil lamp branding method" to "electric branding method", "lying branding method" and "seat branding method". The single manual branding pen was changed to large, medium and small models, and the temperature could be adjusted at will, and technologies such as branding, paper branding and silk branding were developed. When painting, you can touch up, iron, detail and bake. The color is dark brown, simple but elegant and unique. Products are sold to more than 60 countries and regions. Export pyrography chopsticks, 1980 was rated as high-quality products by the Ministry of light industry.

It is said that in the early Qing Dynasty, a Henan pyrography master came to Shenshiqiao in Cixi to find his ancestral home, but he was flooded. Forced to make a living, the pyrography master had to stay and start making a living with his pyrography skills. Since then, fire pyrography has settled in Shenshiqiao, Cixi.

The production process of original pyrography is very particular. Usually silver pens are heated by oil lamps, and patterns are burned on chopsticks and boards. In 1980s, Fan Xuchang began to test hot stamping on a piece of plywood with an electric soldering iron. This technology is very successful and has been welcomed by the masses. Pyrography with a soldering iron, with a pen freely, colors can be light or thick, landscapes, figures, flowers and birds are lifelike, and all kinds of traditional paintings are beyond our reach.