Cultural Inheritors: Unveiling a new take on colored stone inlay art

Today in the second edition of our "Cultural Inheritors" series, we'll follow The Vibe's Qi Jie to meet Miao Yichuan, a fourth-generation inheritor of colored stone inlay, an art with a history of thousands of years. Living overseas for 15 years has helped him develop a fresh perspective on Chinese cultural heritage – an outlook where transformation is important.

Some say that happiness is like a butterfly. When you want to catch it, it flies away; but if you sit quietly somewhere, it may just land on your shoulder. Transformed from stones instead of emerging from cocoons, these butterflies will "fly" and rest in the memories of the viewers.

The exhibition is called "玊化" (sù huà). I have to admit I've never seen the character "玊" (sù) before. It looks like "玉" (yù), which means jade in English. And when the dot in "玉" moves upward in "玊," it means "imperfect jade."

"It's a rarely used Chinese character. And '化' (huà) means 'transformation or change,'" Miao Yichuan, a fourth-generation inheritor of colored stone inlay, explains further.

Gem stones, which include jade, are never perfect. But here it also indicates a person or an object that's imperfect. People imbue these imperfect stones with a kind soul. So Miao titled the exhibition "Sù" ("玊"), in the hope of conveying the sense of transformation these imperfect objects undergo when he turns them into something as beautiful as he could possibly make. And that's why "Huà" ("化") , the "transformation," matters.

"Transformation" is part of Chinese philosophy. One of the oldest Chinese classics, the "Yi Jing," is usually translated as the "Book of Changes." It deals with "change" and "transformation." Stone inlay dates back more than a 1,000 years to the Tang Dynasty. The 51-year-old artist has been developing these ancient techniques for the past 15 years. His focus is to transform this traditional art form into something that's part of modern-day life.

Colored stone inlay used to be called gemstone inlay, because all these works of art were only made for the royal court. The technique is a very practical way of setting colored marble or semi-precious stones into a wood or stone base, often using different patterns. The stones add natural color and texture to the beautiful works. The craft combines the skills of stone carving, wood carving, and embossing. It was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.  

Miao explains how the craft came to be associated with his hometown of Wenzhou. "Colored stone inlay in Wenzhou originated when the capital was moved south from Kaifeng in present-day central China's Henan Province to Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province during the late Northern Song Dynasty. As the provisional capital, Wenzhou was also an economically and politically dynamic city at that time. As a result, a large number of aristocratic families and craftsmen from all over the country moved to Wenzhou."

And these newcomers influenced their local counterparts, including the Miao family. Miao's father, Miao Chengjin, is a third-generation inheritor of the inlay art. The 80-year-old has been practicing his craft for over six decades. He still works with his son and his younger students today, which has inspired the old master's own concept of transformation.  

Market demand, craftsmanship and raw materials are the essential elements of any form of art that has been passed down over hundreds of years. For me, the combination and experimentation of cutting and polishing stones and setting them in wood or cement slabs is a good metaphor for the importance of transforming ideas and developing the courage to innovate. When it comes to who the "boss" is in the workshop, the younger Miao says father and son are their own men. "We work by ourselves. Sometimes when I'm not too sure, or a little frustrated, I'll talk to my father. But sometimes I'd rather not ask for help and continue to pursue my own bold ideas. But he doesn't bother you. When you finish your work and ask him what he thinks, he often looks at it and says, 'This is really not bad.'"

With this kind of encouragement from his father, Miao Yichuan became even bolder in building up a new kingdom of Chinese cultural heritage. Lu Xun, one of China's most famous writers, said, "There's no such a thing as a 'path.' But when more people walk, the path is underway." Miao Yichuan has taken his very first steps on his path to innovation, leading him to a whole new world where ancient craftsmanship meets contemporary art.

In 2016, Miao began experimenting with cement slabs instead of wood. As he had studied mechanics in college, his knowledge allowed his artistic side to innovate. Miao redesigned the processing tools, tested the stability of the glue, and adjusted the thickness and hardness of the metal frame. After six years of constant trial and error, the artist unveiled his creations in his hometown in the spring of 2023. Miao continues: "This innovative approach actually employs several traditional techniques. We just had some breakthroughs in composition and aesthetic aspects. I'm not sure if people like it or not. But I think art should be forward-looking and follow trends."

First and foremost, it takes an artistic eye to find the beauty in raw materials. For Miao, selecting the right stones is the first step to innovation. Fifteen years of living and working in Spain shaped Miao Yichuan's thinking about making intangible cultural heritage part of daily life – the key to passing on traditional techniques.

"In fact, what I'm doing now is still carrying on the tradition of our ancestors' stone inlay craftsmanship, decorating cupboards and closets with colored stones. But now the idea is a bit different, where we decorate simple and contemporary designs of custom-made furniture with colored stones. Very elegant and simple, but they provide a theme for this particular set of furniture."

The theme refers to cultural inheritance and transformation. The craftsmanship is still there in his studio, and hopefully the ballet between man and stone will continue.

The elder Miao says almost every day he thinks about making something. "I just want to help these young people develop a sense of creativity. That is, love what you do and never be too old to learn. I think inlay is a good craft. It has been practiced and passed down for hundreds of years, and it is a treasure of our country's intangible cultural heritage."

People young and old have been concentrating on this tradition for centuries. Yichuan tells me that although his new techniques have reached a relatively mature level, he continues to explore. His bold innovations and pioneering business models are expected to bring more works of colored stone inlay into homes around the world.