Recent situation of Lanzhou gourd sculpture

At first, many people engaged in gourd carving as a hobby. Later, they began to give their works to relatives and friends. Later, gourd carvings were put on the streets and entered the market. Today in Lanzhou, gourd sculptors mostly set up stalls in Chenghuang Temple to carve. As a handicraft integrating Lanzhou traditional culture, folk crafts and regional characteristics, the small carved gourd gradually came out of Lanzhou and Gansu. With the popularity of small gourds, nowadays, carved gourds are no longer just objects that people play with and collect. The big culture contained in the small gourd shows a new landscape and creates a big market.

Now, although carved gourd handicrafts have appeared in Shanxi, Hebei, Henan and other places, Lanzhou carved gourd is still the first choice for gifts to relatives and friends and craft collections, and it is deeply loved by connoisseurs at home and abroad because of its exquisite carving, vivid freehand brushwork and strong artistic appeal. At present, there are many famous gourds, and their carving technology and craft level have reached a new and higher level. Many wonderful and amazing works have been collected by relevant state departments and even overseas. Colorful and beautifully sculpted carved gourds are exported to Britain, Germany, Japan, the United States and other countries, and become one of the traditional handicrafts exported by Lanzhou, with an annual export volume of more than 10,000 pieces.