Development history of Qingdao shell carving

According to textual research, the shell carving in Qingdao was developed on the basis of excavating and inheriting the ancient traditional art in China. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, people had ground shells into various decorations and inlaid them on utensils, creating an original "snail-tough" inlay technology. In the early 1960s, Qingdao developed shell carving on the basis of this "mother of pearl" and established Qingdao shell carving factory.

Qingdao shell carving is made of all kinds of shells in rivers, lakes and seas, using the inherent characteristics of shells such as natural color, texture and shape, through design, material selection, deformation, rough grinding, fine carving and combination. Shell carving artists use ingenious techniques to combine carving, pasting, spraying and painting, learn from Chinese painting techniques, learn from teeth, jade, stone carving and other techniques, and carve semi-three-dimensional or nearly-three-dimensional shell carving paintings with various specifications, colors and tastes.

There are many kinds of shells, with different colors and textures, and some are reflectors. Shell carving is to choose these colorful shells, skillfully use their natural colors, textures and shapes, and carefully carve them into various forms and specifications such as flat paste, semi-relief, inlay and three-dimensional after cutting, turning, polishing and overlapping. Shell carving skillfully combines people with the sea. Shell carving is the crystallization of the beauty of the sea and the wisdom of traditional culture, with the natural beauty of shells, the beauty of carving techniques and the beauty of Chinese painting style.

As far back as 50000 years ago, shells were strung into decorative chains. 5000~6000 years ago, there were many primitive people living in the coastal areas and nearby islands of China. They live by the sea. Later, a large number of shellfish mounds were piled up where they lived. There are more than 20 kinds of shellfish fossils such as clam, abalone, conch, oyster and jade snail in the shell mound, and many shells are drilled, which are obviously used as decorations. During the period of 1987, three groups of animal images made of clam shells were found in the wizard's tomb found in Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan Province.

From Shang Dynasty to Qin Dynasty, there was a kind of shellfish, which was used as currency for a long time after being polished and perforated. This is Babe. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, shells were generally made into necklaces, arm ornaments, waist ornaments and costumes. There are even horse ornaments and car ornaments. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, 30% soldiers in Lu wore shells as pendants with red lines to enhance their military strength.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the improvement and popularization of smelting technology opened up a new way for shell carving. Artists use the color of shells to grind a relatively flat shell into thin slices, and then carve simple bird and beast patterns, which are embedded in bronzes, mirrors, screens, tables and chairs for decoration, commonly known as "Luodian". This technology still exists in many areas.

Qingdao shell carving was developed on the basis of Luodian in the early 1960s. 1962, Qingdao shell carving handicraft factory was established, and began to make professional shell carving, constantly summing up experience, which made Qingdao shell carving develop rapidly. There are various techniques of shell carving in Qingdao, such as mixing, pasting, spelling, sticking and painting. Drawing lessons from wood, jade, tooth carving, Chinese painting and other techniques, it is colorful, distinct and unique.

1982 ranks second in the national shell carving appraisal, and has been exhibited in Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Kuwait and other countries 10, and its products sell well in more than 60 countries and regions in the world.