Life of Guangzhou - Artist Expresses Olympic Passion through Root Carvings

“This is Air Yao Ming; this is hurdling Liu Xiang; and this is sailing Li Lishang - watch her force…” said Liang Chiqiang. The things he’s talking about are his Olympic tree-root carvings.

Liang Chiqiang, 61, lives in Changzhou Island, Huangpu district, Guangzhou. He is a veteran carpenter who picked up root carving ten years ago.

Over the years, Liang has created a huge amount of root carvings and is regarded as the best local sculptor in Huangpu.

One of his masterpieces is called “Roast Goose”, which is so realistic that the reporter failed to realize it was actually a piece of art.

With the advent of the Beijing Olympics, Mr. Liang is working hard to create a series of Olympic root carvings that express his patriotic sentiment and convey the Olympic spirit. Currently he has finished 20 pieces.

One piece mirrors the Olympic torch relay across the nation: above a big blank spot shaped like China’s territory, the holy flame made of red sandalwood flying high - a little abstract, but the piece carries a clear message.

Root-carving is the artist's passion. So are the Olympics and his motherland.

Another piece features Olympic windsurfing champion Lee Lai Shan. The statue so fully displays her strength and beauty that it seems as if the wind is howling in one’s ears, the brilliant windsurfing queen sailing with great force in the same room.

It’s worth pointing out that Liang’s sculptures carry much of the essence of Chinese culture.

Unlike other kinds of sculpting, tree-root carving is characterized by “the law of minus”, or “getting rid of the dross and keeping the virtue” (取其精华，去其糟粕), whose process has long been compared with the process of self-improvement. Self-improvement, in turn, lies at the core of Chinese traditional culture.

Moreover, creating tree-root carvings is like breathing new life into the dead tree roots, i.e. “bringing the spring back” (枯木逢春) in Chinese, which is also one of the ideals of traditional Chinese philosophy.

Many businessmen have offered to buy his works, but Liang believes they are priceless, for they are the fruit of his imagination, embodying his love and good wishes for the Olympics as well as his beloved motherland.

Liang hopes that in the future he can open a root-carving museum where he can meet like-minded friends and share his passion and ideas.

And he believes his works will bring good luck to the Chinese athletes in the Olympic Games.

(By Yang Quanquan and Stephen Roach)