Wood carving is a sculpture in our country. It is often referred to as "folk art." Wood carvings can be divided into three categories: three-dimensional carvings, root carving, relief sculpture. Wood carving is a separate type of work out of the woodwork. In the job title for our country, it can be classified as "Fine Woodworking." It is a kind of folk art classified on the basis of carving materials. Craftsmen generally choose fine and tough texture which is not easily deformed such as nanmu, red sandalwood, camphorwood, cedar wood, ginkgo, agila wood, mahogany, longan wood. Natural root carving art form was "root carving." Woodcarving use several techniques including circular engraving, basso-relievo and hollow engraving. Some wood carving also applied color to protect the wood.
The usual argument is: China's wood carving art originated in the Neolithic period. But in fact, wood sculpture, like other arts, is accompanied by the generation of mankind. At the beginning, it is just an unconscious act, until the people have aesthetic, woodcarving really become an art. Wood carving art originated in the Neolithic China. Dating back to more than 7000 years, Zhejiang Yuyao Hemudu culture have emerged wood fish carvings. Wood carving matured in Qin and Han dynasties and during this time, painting and carving is exquisite perfection. The appearance of colored wood carving marked that the ancient carvings has reached a very high level.
The Tang Dynasty was a flowering period of Chinese technology while wood carvings were becoming increasingly perfect. Many preserved wooden statues are ancient Chinese art masterpiece with modeling concise, skilled knife smooth, crisp lines of technological features. It is a "darling" of today's art market at home and abroad. Wood carvings theme in Ming and Qing Dynasties are mainly common living customs, myths, such as happiness, bumper harvest, dragon and phoenix, peace wish, longevity crane and other carvings.