Photo taken on June 17, 2023 shows Peng Li carves on porcelain at his studio in northwest China’s Xinjiang. (Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Liu Yiming)

Peng Li is a porcelain carving artist from Wujiaqu City, northwest China’s Xinjiang. Over the past 13 years, he has completed more than 300 pieces of works with his hammer and carving knife, so that the traditional skill of porcelain carving can be recognized by more people.

“I grew up liking painting and calligraphy. It’s an interesting story of how I got associated with porcelain carving,” Peng Li recalled the past.

In 2010, Peng Li took his daughter to the Xi’an Conservatory of Music for an exchange program. In his spare time, he went to the Xi’an Beilin Museum to enjoy the calligraphy and tablet inscriptions. “I was shocked,” Peng Li said, describing his feelings at that time. “The charm of calligraphy is not only on paper but also on stone tablets, so I decided to take up my hobby again.”

That year, Peng Li, who had stable work in Urumqi, returned to Wujiaqu City. He did farming during the day, and thought of creating more forms of calligraphy and painting works for the rest of time. “I tried to carve on the wood and brick, which did not work out the way I thought they would. Only after carving on a porcelain plate, it achieved the effect I envisioned.”

Carving on a porcelain plate is not easy. Applying too much force will break the porcelain plate, while applying too little force won’t cut the glaze on the porcelain plate, resulting in a lack of desired texture and effect. For more than a year, after finishing the farm work, Peng Li continued his porcelain carving in his house. “That year, a friend of mine closed his Agritainment (a Chinese style of leisure and aesthetic space in rural areas) and I collected his over 300 plates. I’ve already carved on all of them,” Peng Li said.

Photo taken on June 17, 2023 shows Peng Li creates porcelain carving works at his working room in northwest China’s Xinjiang. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Liu Yiming)

After repeated refinement and practice, Peng Li’s porcelain carving technique is getting more and more mature. In the spring of 2011, a TV show about porcelain carving gave Peng Li a newfound understanding. “I thought my skill was unique, but I didn’t realize that it is a traditional craft called porcelain carving. The TV show also presented a lot of porcelain carving works, and I was once shocked by these exquisite masterpieces,” Peng Li said, “I like this craft but didn't know anything about it, and that was when I made up my mind to learn from a porcelain carving master.”

Peng Li had carried this idea in his mind from the sowing in spring to the harvest in autumn. After finishing the farm work in November of that year, he immediately set out to go to Zibo City in Shandong Province, where there are a lot of masters of porcelain carving.

Through a warm-hearted local people, Peng Li found a prestigious porcelain carving master.

“The master didn’t receive any more apprentices, but seeing that I really liked porcelain carving, he didn’t reject me outright,” Peng Li said. For the next 10 days, in addition to eating and sleeping, Peng Li stayed every day in the studio to study the style and technique of porcelain carving. He was serious and attentive, and when he encountered difficulties, he asked his master for advice.

During that time, Peng Li observed the master’s skills during the day and practiced when he went back to the hotel. In the past, his porcelain carving method was not right as he was always staring at the hammer to see whether it hit the carving knife. However, the master told him that this was not right and that he shouldn’t move his eyes from the line under the carving knife to ensure that the texture was accurate and smooth. In order to correct his mistake, Peng Li practiced day after day. Although the small hammer fell on his hand again and again so hard, he did not stop.

“After staying for more than a month, one day the master said ‘You have the desire and awareness to make good porcelain carving works, and you are willing to work hard, so I will take you as my apprentice’, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that day.” Looking back now, Peng Li still can’t hide his excitement.

In Shandong Province, Peng Li learned about the history of porcelain carving, the variable use of carving knives, and how to coordinate a hammer with a carving knife. “When I was preparing to return to Xinjiang, my master said, ‘There are very few people making carved porcelain in northwest China. I’m passing this skill on to you, and I hope you’ll do the same,” Peng Li said.

Photo shows Peng Li’s paper-cutting style porcelain work. (Photo by Peng Li)

After that, Peng Li devoted himself to refining his porcelain carving skills for more than ten years. He carved landscapes, birds and flowers, figures, calligraphy, and other images on porcelain, and he took his works to various exhibitions and art festivals to let more people know about this traditional handicraft.

At Peng Li’s studio, if one takes a close look at his porcelain carving works, one will not only find that his works are vivid, smooth, and multi-layered as if they are painted on rice paper with ink, but also feel concave and convex texture on the porcelain.

“A porcelain carving work is the result of thousands of hammering, and each hammering should be just right and be accomplished with different techniques. All of these need years of practice,” Peng Li said, “I integrated different styles, such as Chinese painting, printmaking, and paper-cutting with my porcelain carving works. Many people thought it was a Chinese painting at first glance, and when they touched it again, they were surprised that it was carved.”

Peng Li has new thoughts for his future works, “I want to create more series of works to promote the spirit of Populus euphratica. At the same time, I want to cooperate with some schools, hoping to let more children understand and like this traditional craft so that I can pass it on,” Peng Li said.

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