Gongli stone carving is a local carving art with a long history in Shaanxi Province. Its origin can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It had reached a fairly high level by the time of Qin Shihuang. It developed greatly in the late Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the architectural decoration of the palace gardens in the capital, the calligraphy and painting engravings of celebrities and poets, and the coffins and stone tablets of emperors and generals stimulated the prosperity of Gongli stone carving. In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, a skilled stonemason named Zhao Xin appeared in Fuping. He brought more than 200 stonemasons to Beijing to work, leaving behind a large number of famous places and traces. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Gongli stone carving has been popular among the local people, so stone tablet buildings, stone screens, stone tablets, horse tie posts, column top stones, altars, incense burners, stone sheep, stone horses, etc., are really stone-use. In the early years of the Republic of China, fine stone carvings appeared, leaving a high name in the stone carving industry. As a local folk carving art, Gongli stone carving is first famous for its stone material. Its stone is fine and pure, with a black and green color, crisp and pleasant, and is called black jade. Secondly, the craftsmanship is exquisite and purely handmade. Stonemasons from generation to generation have their "specialties" and "unique skills", and they often "keep a hand" in the process of inheritance. Stonemasons learn their skills based on their intuition, and they learn their skills carefully without showing it. Therefore, there is no written record of the craftsmanship. It is only known that the three major types of craftsmanship are line carving, relief carving and round carving. More than 10 villages such as Nanling, Beiling, Qiaobei, Sanfeng, Fengxi and Jiantou on the southern foot of Fenghuang Mountain have passed down the stone carving craftsmanship from generation to generation, and many households are stone carving families. However, the inheritance genealogy of Gongli stone carving only began to show signs during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. Qiu Zhilin of Wangjia Village, Liu Shengrong of Nanling Village, Zhao Zhiqi, Liu Laifu and Yang Jialin of Zhaobao, Nanling are the "Five Tiger Generals" of Gongli stone carving, and they are also five major genealogies with their own skills and characteristics, all of which are quite accomplished. The stone carving craftsmanship of Gongli is reflected in production and daily utensils, which are beautiful, generous and solid. Such as door piers, column tops, horse hitching posts, millstones, rollers, stone troughs, mortars, etc., each with its own shape and pattern, passed down from generation to generation. It is reflected in the proprietary technology of mausoleums, bridges, archways, steles, statues, etc., with exquisite, realistic, vivid characteristics, magnificent momentum, and generations of wonders. Historical Origin The origin of Gongli stone carving technology can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, because it had reached a very high level by the time of Qin Shihuang. According to the "Historical Records of Qin Benji", in 212 BC (the 35th year of Qin Shihuang), more than 100,000 prisoners were forced to build the Afang Palace and the Mausoleum of Mount Li, and a large amount of Fuping stone was mined. By the 1980s, the site of the stone processing plant excavated by the First Emperor Mausoleum Archaeological Team in Wujiazhuang confirmed that its stone products were particularly finely crafted, the craftsmanship was particularly superb, and the shape was particularly beautiful. During the late Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, palace stone carvings developed greatly. The traces of palace stone carvings can be seen in the Han Taishanghuang Mausoleum, Han Maoling Mausoleum, Huo Qubing Tomb and other historical sites. Among the stone carvings in Fuping County, there are more than 10 statues and steles from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Fuping was part of the capital. The architectural decoration of the palace gardens in the capital, the calligraphy and painting of celebrities and poets, and the coffins and stone steles of emperors and generals greatly stimulated the development of palace stone carvings. Today, many palace stone carvings can be seen in Fuping Dingling, Yuanling, Puchengqiao Mausoleum, Tailing, Huiling and other places, such as stone coffins, tomb vouchers, Vermillion Birds, Huabiao, steles, epitaphs, stone lions, stone men, stone horses, unicorn altars, etc. In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, a skilled stonemason named Zhao Xin appeared in Fuping. He was appointed by the court as the chief judge of Shaanxi Province and led more than 200 stonemasons to work in the city (now Beijing) for six years. These stonemasons left a large number of famous places of interest in the Confucius Temple, Guangji Temple, Xiangshan Temple, Bishan Temple, Biyun Temple, Wanshou Xingguo Temple, etc. According to research, most of the stone materials were produced in Fuping, and the craftsmanship came from the hands of stonemasons in the palace. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the stone carvings in the palace have moved to the local folks and tended to be practical and popular. The market towns, large fortresses and wealthy families with relatively developed economy and culture pay attention to decoration, so stone tablets, stone screens, horse piles, column top stones, altars, incense burners, stone inkstones, stone pillows, etc., are really stone-utilized. Such as the "Wenhui Stone Bridge Stele" in the early years of the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty, the "Yongrunli Guanghui Canal Stele" in Zhuangli of the Qing Dynasty, and the "Reconstruction of Shunyang Canal Stele" in Meiyuan, etc., have given the stone carving craftsmanship historical and cultural connotations. The famous "It's rare to be confused" written by Zheng Banqiao, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, also went through many twists and turns and found an engraving master in Fuping, and it was passed down to later generations. In the early years of the Republic of China, some famous scholars and calligraphers met with stone carving masters in Gongli, and some stone carving masterpieces appeared. For example, "Zhao Shishan's Epitaph", "The Martyrs Cemetery Stele of the Two Battles of Xinhai and Bingchen", "The Tomb Poetry Stele", "The Epitaph of Lieutenant General Zhang Yi'an", "The Epitaph of General Wei Hu Liseng", "The Epitaph of Hu Taigong", and later "The Memorial to the Martyrs Who Died in the Anti-Japanese War", "The Merit Stele of Yang Changnian, the General of the East Fourth Regiment", etc., have left a high name in the stone carving industry. At the beginning of the founding of New China, Liu Shengheng, a stonemason in Gongli, carved a stele for serving the people written by Chairman Mao for the tomb of Zhang Side in Yan'an. Liu Jigui, Liu Yingxian, Liu Yunjian and others have carved more than 20 monuments in Lanzhou Martyrs Cemetery and Chunhua Yetaishan Martyrs Cemetery. Liu Yingxian copied "Heyang Lingcao Quan Tablet" and "Two Kings Fatie" for the Provincial History Museum, both of which were well received by experts. In the 1970s, Gongli Stone Carving entered a zero period. Its craft products were all the rage and were exhibited abroad. Since the new century, the scale has continued to expand, and mechanized and professional operations have emerged. Basic content Gongli stone carving technology is a typical representative of stone carving. Stone carving technology depends on the precision of the stone. The basic procedures of stone carving technology are: 1 Material selection and collection: The selection of stone is based on the natural form of the mountain and the stone. The straight grain, few flaws and fine quality are selected. The iron chisel is used to chisel the grooves and dig the nests along the grain, and then the iron chisel is inserted and stretched outward with force, and the stone can be removed along the grain. The large pieces are several feet, and the small ones are also a foot. 2. Making the blank: When facing the stone, the stonemason either shapes the stone according to the material or shapes the material, and processes the stone into blanks. Most of them are ingots and square or rectangular blocks. 3. According to the three types of stone carving techniques, line carving, relief carving and round carving, the processing technology is determined: Line carving: polishing the material surface; rubbing the carved work on or directly writing or drawing on the stone surface; initial carving: fine carving; polishing. Relief carving: making the base blank; rubbing the outline on the blank; initial carving; removing the rough material; hollowing out; fine carving; polishing. Round carving: taking the circle from the square; removing the rough material; initial carving; fine carving; polishing. Basic characteristics 1. Raw material characteristics: The Qiaoshan Mountain branch in the north of Fuping stretches over 100 miles, covers an area of 360 square kilometers, and has a limestone reserve of hundreds of billions of cubic meters. Generations of people along the mountains have used this unique natural resource to make various living and production tools, and then developed fine carving crafts. The stone here is fine and pure, with a black-green color, crisp and pleasant to the ear. It is called green jade (also known as black jade), and is therefore famous throughout the ages. 2. Craft features: The real stone carving craft is purely manual; famous stone carving masters of all dynasties have their own "specialties" and "unique skills", and they often keep a hand in the inheritance process, thus adding a mysterious color to the stone carving craft. The stonemasons in the past relied on their understanding to learn their skills. In the process of watching, remembering, and working hard, they learned the skills carefully and kept silent, so that they could learn the real skills. Therefore, there is no written record of stone carving from ancient times to the present. Stone carving craftsmanship was mostly done by aristocratic families a long time ago. With the rise and fall of the family, the skills were mostly interrupted. 3. Product features: Stone carving craftsmanship is reflected in production and living utensils, which are beautiful, generous, and solid. Such as door piers, column tripods, horse tie posts, hammer cloth stones, millstones, rollers, stone troughs, mortars, etc., each with its own shape and pattern, passed down from generation to generation. The stone carving technology is reflected in the special skills of mausoleums, bridges, archways, steles, statues, etc., which are exquisite, realistic, vivid, and magnificent, and have been admired for generations. Main value 1 Cultural relics and archaeological value: The more than 2,000-year history of stone carving in the palace is proved by countless stone carvings. Among the stone carvings in Fuping County, there are more than 10 statues in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties; the Xianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu of Tang in Sanyuan County, the Zhaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizong in Liquan County, the Qianling Mausoleum in Qian County, the Dingling Mausoleum of Emperor Zhongzong in Fuping County, the Yuanling Mausoleum of Emperor Daizong, the Qiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Ruizong in Pucheng County, the Tailing Mausoleum of Emperor Xuanzong, the Huiling Mausoleum of Emperor Rangdi, and the tombs of civil and military ministers such as the Tomb of Li Xun and the Tomb of Li Jing scattered all over the country, as well as many tombs of princes and princesses, all have stone carvings in Fuping Palace, which play an extremely important role in archaeology. 2 Cultural and artistic value: In the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, there are more than 40 stone tablets carved by stonemasons in Fuping Palace. Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Holy Teaching", Yan Zhenqing's "Duobao Pagoda", Ouyang Xun's "Huangfu Dan Monument", Liu Gongquan's "Xuan Mi Pagoda", Yue Fei's "Chu Shi Biao" and other fine calligraphy works and Fuping Gao Junzhao's "Eight Scenes of Guanzhong" and other calligraphy works are widely spread and have a great relationship with their stone tablets. The ancient temples, halls, buildings, pavilions, decorations, character statues and various stone carvings of production and living supplies are all full of artistic charm, which is beyond the reach of today. 3. Craftsmanship and technological value: The mysterious color of stone carving technology indicates its technological content and craftsmanship value. Including the rough work of quarrying and taking materials, there are inherent tricks. Especially the fine carving, which has both the merit of external inspection and the beauty of internal enlightenment, is really "the ice is three feet thick and not cold in one day". It has been passed down from generation to generation, and it is definitely not replaceable by "modernization". This is an extremely valuable craft and technological heritage. 4. Economic and development value: Gongli stone carving has played a very important role in the economic development of the town and has become a pillar industry with an annual sales income of 70.66 million yuan, accounting for 42.2% of the town's economic income. More than 80% of the labor force in the villages in front of Fenghuang Mountain is engaged in stone carving. Some villages have formed a fist product and continue to attract foreign businessmen. Some villages have integrated professional households for material collection, transportation and processing. Related tools and products Gongli's traditional stone carving tools are divided into two categories: rough work and fine work: rough work includes hand hammers, sledgehammers, chisel axes, chisel heads, steel wedges, etc.; fine work includes word boards, flat blade knives, groove knives, chive leaves, shovels, etc. Other tools include squares, rulers, tape measures, ink fountains, wax shovels, rubbing bags, mallets, crowbars, etc. The main products include steles, archways, statues, stone tables, stone drums, stone lions, bridge railings, as well as column tripods, rollers, door piers, steps, mortars, etc. for production and life.