Chinese root carving

Root carving (根雕 gēn diāo) is a traditional art in China. It is a type of artwork featuring people, animals or objects carved out of natural or distorted tree roots (including tree trunks, burls and bamboo roots etc) through careful designing and artistic processing. For the most part, a root carving piece should be presented through the natural shapes of the root material, with only a small part being recreated by hand. So, root carving is also called "the art of the root (根雕艺术 gēn diāo yì shù)" or "root art".

根雕是中国的传统艺术，通过精心设计和艺术加工，在天然的树根（包括树干、树节、竹根等）上雕人物、动物或物品。根雕作品的大部分都保留了树根的天然形状，只有小部分是重新手工打磨的。因此，根雕也被称为“根雕艺术”。

The process of creating root art includes four steps: 

根雕工艺包含以下四个步骤：

1. Root selection (选材 xuǎn cái). This has to be done with respect to both quality and shape of the natural root. Quality refers to the breed and the firmness of the crude root. 

树根选材。这得尊重天然树根的质量和形状。质量是指天然树根的品种和坚度。

2. Conception (构思 gòusī). A necessary feature of root-art creation is originality. While root carving, the creator must make the best use of the original shape of the root and not alter its original shape so he or she can explore its natural beauty. With this in mind, the creator can then use his or her imagination and find the best concept.

构思 。根雕创作的一个必不可少的特点便是独创性。工匠必须充分利用树根的原始形状，不能随意改变，以探索自然之美。记住这一点，工匠便可以发挥想象力，寻找最好的构思。

3. Processing (雕刻 diāokè). When the concept is clarified, the superfluous roots can be sewn or clipped, and the bark removed. Then, it is necessary to polish the bald root with abrasive paper.

雕刻。确定构思后，便可截去多余的根部和树皮。然后，用砂纸把树根磨光滑。

4. Coloring and lacquering (涂色 túsè 与上漆 shàngqī). This is done for the benefit of antisepsis and collecting purposes. Two methods are commonly employed for coloring: one is to wax it so the artwork takes on its original color, which is simple and elegant; the other is to stain it with bronze lacquer, which can add a touch of antiquity to the root.

涂色与上漆。便于防腐与收藏。通常有两种涂色工艺：一是打蜡，使艺术品保留原来的色泽，简约、优雅。另一种是涂上青铜色漆，有仿古的作用。

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