Li Zhou

Li Zhou

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Li Zhou, commonly known as wengzi Zhou, was born in Chongwu, Huian, Fujian Province. His birth and death date is unknown. He lived between the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1662-1795). Because of his short stature, he was called wengzi Zhou. He is the first well-known stone carving master in the history of Huian stone carving. He is known as the "master of Southern stone carving". Chongwu stone carving artists promoted him as the ancestor, and the academic circles regarded him as a connecting link between the preceding and the following.

Life of the characters

Li Zhou's parents died early and his family was poor. When he was a teenager, he went to Shidian in Fuzhou to study stone carving. He is intelligent, especially fond of painting. When cooking for his master, he often uses charcoal to paint on the floor and kitchen wall. After a while, because the pictures he drew were vivid and attracted the attention of the master, he was asked to draw patterns. He was often able to draw new ideas. It is said that on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, when the master wanted to drink and enjoy the moon, he asked Li Zhou to buy wine on the street. He didn't want to come back and pass Nantai bridge. There were many people and the bridge was narrow. Li Zhou's wine bottle was hit and smashed on the bridge. Li Zhou was afraid. It was almost midnight and he didn't dare to go back. At this time, Li Zhou's eyes suddenly turned dark, and the sky seemed to fall down. After a while, a crack appeared in the sky, and a beam of light was shining on Li Zhou. Li Zhou boldly stood up, and the moon came out again, as if it was very close to him. At first sight, a fairy floated down from the Moon Palace and said to him, "just now, it was a once-in-a-lifetime day. You were lucky to accept our glory. Now, the treasure of heaven and earth, you can choose one you need most Li Zhou remembered that his mother had spoken to him, so he said to the fairy, "please let me be clever. I can do things as soon as I see. I don't have to ask for help." Seeing that Li Zhou only wanted art but not money, the fairy admired him and promised him to fly back to the Moon Palace. When Li Zhou returned to the stone shop, he had to tell Shifu the truth, but Shifu laughed at him for talking in his sleep. However, from then on, Li Zhou will see what he sees and do what he does. Later, people said that Li Zhou got "Yuehua".

Stone carving skills

While studying arts in Fuzhou, his master once accidentally broke a corner of the lion's tongue when he was carving a stone lion. He was so sorry that he had no remedy that he left his tools and went to a hotel to drink. Li Zhou examined it, picked up the tools, and decisively changed the lion's head into a slanting head, making it a kind and lovely shape. Since then, it has broken through the limitation of the single form of stone lions in the past. Instead of the traditional image of the Northern Style Stone Lions squatting on the front, it has creatively carved the southern style stone lions shaking their heads and tails, with beads in their mouths, colored ribbons on their chests, holding colored balls with their feet, and standing up with their heads high. This kind of Hydrangea lion is also known as the "Southern lion", which has greatly changed the style of stone carving Changes in the environment. Since then, Hui'an lions have been superb in skills and variety: Hydrangea lion, gill scratching lion, ear picking lion, ancient money lion, dog lion, African lion, Beijing lion, mother and son lion, etc. they have different looks, exquisite, welcoming jinafu, presenting auspicious and happy, showing the delicate and flexible style of the southern school. Later, Wanshou bridge was rebuilt in Fuzhou. Li Zhou specially carved 18 stone lions of different shapes for the bridge columns. In terms of stone carving technology, Li Zhou also applied painting technology to stone carving technology, and created the "needle black and white" technology, which is today known as shadow carving. It displays the artistic features of the southern style stone carvings incisively and vividly, and thus enjoys the honor of "one of the best in China". After that, Wufeng stone carving broke through the old rules, and each had its own innovation, forming the unique style of the southern school. Therefore, the stone carving craftsmen of Wufeng all respected Li Zhou as their master. Li Zhou had no offspring, and his exquisite skills were widely spread through apprenticeship. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, the descendants of Li Zhou began to walk out of Hui'an and traveled all over Southeast Fujian and Taiwan Province. "Jiang Yuancheng" in Fuzhou, "Jiang Quanji" and "Jiang Quanyi" in Xiamen are good examples. Nowadays, Huian's stone carving technology has been well developed, and talents have come forth in large numbers.

Handed down works

The existing masterpieces handed down by Li Zhou include: a pair of dragon pillars of Nanjun guild hall in Fuzhou, which were moved to shanfayu hall in 1966; a pair of stone lions of Xinghua guild hall in Fuzhou, which were later moved to Kaihua temple in Fuzhou West Lake; eighteen fist lions on Wanshou bridge in Fuzhou; and a pair of stone dragon pillars in front of Baosheng temple in Baijiao, Haicang, Xiamen.

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