BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 middle school students from various cities in Russia recently attended a public online lecture on root carving, as an activity under the "Online Chinese Classroom for Russian Youth Program" of the Chinese, Russian middle school association.
The online lecture was delivered by Gao Xuedong, a root carving craftsman, upon invitation from a middle school in Shanxian County of Heze City, east China's Shandong Province.
By showcasing artworks, giving explanations through pictures and texts, and demonstrating carving skills, Gao introduced in detail the origin, evolution, raw materials, tools and techniques of root carving, which is a traditional handicraft in China and has been continuously evolving with the changes in people's aesthetic taste.
Gao showed a series of hairpin works featuring peony flowers, introducing that the series was inspired by the blooming season of a peony garden in Heze around mid-April every year.
During the online lecture, Gao carved a hairpin on spot, demonstrating the skills and techniques through the processes from design and drafting to carving, polishing and so on. Since the traditional root-carving techniques cannot be replicated, each hairpin is a unique work of art, said Gao.
The Russian students attending the online activity were deeply attracted by the lecture and amazed by the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture. Gao also hoped that one day he could teach the students in person, letting them further experience the charm of carving art. (Edited by Yu Huichen with Xinhua Silk Road, yuhuichen@xinhua.org)
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