Sunny Dangui, “Returning to the Roots: the Dao of Chinese Root

Returning to the Roots:

The Dao of Chinese Root Sculptures

Sunny Dangui

The L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, Maine, is a small museum with a rich collection of artefacts spanning a vast range of time and geography. One of the oddities, for example, is a root sculpture from China displayed in the Deanne Herman Gallery (figs. 1 and 2). The sculpture is made of boxwood and stands about 50 inches in height. According to the museum label (fig. 3), the three characters depicted are Buddhist monks; however, some elements from the central figure suggest that it depicts Tieguai Li 铁拐李 [Iron Crutch Li], a Daoist immortal. According to Deborah Staber, director of the L.C. Bates Museum, given the museum’s small staff and many uncatalogued items, the label could be erroneous. This paper aims at providing contextual information to help a more accurate assessment of this work. As a product of a country with thousands of years of history, root sculptures, amongst other traditional artworks, are often heavily influenced by longstanding Chinese traditions. Understanding this artform thus requires an examination of the cultural underpinnings that guide the creative process. In this paper, I will survey the history and the process of root sculptures as well as Daoist philosophies that are intricately related to them in hopes of providing a context for L.C. Bates Museum’s root sculpture.

Fig. 3. Label of the Chinese root sculpture, L.C. Bates Museum.

Gendiao 根雕, root sculpture, is a form of traditional Chinese art. It involves the carving of a burl, or tree tumor, into figures, such as birds, mammals, or even human beings. This form of art gained cultural recognition both in China and abroad, attracting a wide number of collectors starting from as early as the 18th century (Van Campen 165). Examples can be seen in a wide range of museums from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to the L.C. Bates

(figs. 1 and 2; see also fig. 4). Root carving makes use of nature’s imperfections to create decorative and/or functional objects such as walking sticks and furniture. It is unclear when the first root sculpture was created, but the earliest instance found so far traces back to the Warring

State era, between 340 BC–240 BC. In 1982, in the Chu Tomb Mashan No. 1 in Jiangling, Hubei

Province, archaeologists excavated the earliest root sculpture found up to date—named “bixie”

辟邪 [ward off evil spirits] (Mao 75; fig. 5). The artform became more prominent in the Sui and

Tang Dynasties, between 501–901, as evident in writings from the period. For example, the poet

Han Yu described a root sculpture titled Mu ju shi 木居士 [wooden lay Buddhist] in his poem

“Ti mu ju shi” 题木居士 [titled wooden lay Buddhist],

火透波穿不计春，根如头面干如身。偶然题做木居士，便有无穷求福人。

This wood has gone through many springs of fire and water, so that now its root looks like a

Buddhist’s face, while the trunk looks like a Buddhist’s body. Since the artist named it the

“wooden lay Buddhist,” now it will attract millions of people praying for good fortune. (杨 150)

Fig. 4. Root Carving, Qing dynasty. Bamboo. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fig. 5. “Bixie” 辟邪 [Ward Off Evil Spirits]

The root carving techniques matured during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, between 1368–1912.

In paintings from that era, such as Chunyeyan taoliyuan tu 春夜宴桃李园图 [Spring Festival

Banquet Peach Garden View] by Ming Dynasty Suzhou painter Qiu Ying 仇英, one can see stools carved out of roots (fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Qiu Ying 仇英, Chunyeyan taoliyuan tu 春夜宴桃李园图 [Spring Festival Banquet Peach Garden View].

After the Qing Dynasty, China entered the Republic of China period, which was defined by a series of radical societal changes and turmoil. This period witnessed a decline in root carving and the artform almost disappeared. However, it began thriving again in the 1970s, and regained its

5 previous glory in the 1980s, following the revival of the artform known as Suzhou bonsai, literally meaning “plants in a container,” “derived from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice, part of which was then redeveloped under the influence of Japanese Zen

Buddhism” (bonsaiempire.com; fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Penjing Garden Qingyi Yuan, Shanghai, China. Photo: bonsaiempire.com.

Root carving involves a long and arduous process, similar to Laozi’s Daoist teachings in Daode

Jing 道德经, the Daoist Bible (Laozi). The process involves root selection, pre-carving preparation, conception, processing, coloring and lacquering, and titling. As described by a root sculptor Sun Yongliang 孙永良, the pre-carving preparation, which involves soaking the wood to eradicate bugs and sun-drying, could take up to four years (youku.com).

Confirmed by many root sculpture scholars and artists, the key guiding philosophy in making root sculptures is “30 percent man-made, 70 percent natural” 三分人工，七分天成 (Yang 150).

The final sculpture relies 70 percent on the natural formation of the root, and 30 percent on the artist’s work. This concept is comparable to that of modern art as pioneered by Constantin

Brâncuși in 1906, the taille directe, or direct carving, which emphasizes the “truth of materials” and celebrates a return to primitive artmaking (Glaves-Smith). The root sculpture artist does not artist aim at creating something new, but to simply make modifications based on the given material. In Chapter 16 of Daode Jing, Laozi teaches people the importance of connecting to nature, and more importantly, to the roots.

致虚极，守静笃，万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，是谓复命。

The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with

unwearying vigour. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them

return (to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant

growth, we see each of them return to its root. This returning to their root is what we call the state

of stillness; and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed

end. (Legge)

Another Daoist classic, Yi Jing 易经, addresses the core concept of tianrenheyi 天人合一 [the sky and human as one], inferring that “the human being and the world share not only the same origin and the same nature, but also the same structure and law” (Mou 280). This concept suggests that humans should work together with nature because we essentially share the same roots. The same philosophy could be seen applied to root sculpture, in which the artist must work with the given material, instead of creating something brand new on a blank canvas.

Consequently, material selection is the first and most important step, since it sets the tone for the finished product. Reflective of the long process of woodcarving, the best materials for root sculptures are those that have lived through many difficult years. As Mao says,

好的根雕作品，其制造原料大都是经过了千锤百炼的老树根，岂在生长过程中与自然、与

人类进行抗争，不断遭受天雷、地火以及人祸的考验，只有在经受住这些考验之后才能让

根部更健壮，最终形成了一件高质量的根雕艺术作品。

The material of a good root sculpture comes from old tree roots that have gone through hardships,

including struggling with nature and mankind during its growth, and suffering the trials of

thunder, fire, and human catastrophe. It is only through these trials that the roots will be stronger,

and then ultimately become a high-quality piece of root carving art. (75)

The phrase qianchuibailian 千锤百炼 can be interpreted through its literal meaning: thousand hammering, hundred refining, but it is also widely used metaphorically in China to describe going through trials and ordeals to ultimately become a better version of oneself. It is likened to the ideology of “suffer now, reward later” that many Chinese parents have used to encourage their children to study hard, and is also similar to some religious philosophies like that of

Buddhism and Christianity. Likewise, Daoist practitioners in ancient times must go through trials and ordeals to achieve their ultimate state, that of xian 仙, or immortal.

One of the most popular tales about the immortals is the story of “ba xian guo hai” 八仙过海, the eight immortals crossing the sea. The tale was passed down as an oral story before it was written down by Wu Yuantai 吴元泰 in Dongyouji 东游记 Journey to the East (Wu). The eight immortals each represent a different type of person in the ancient Chinese society: male, female, old, young, rich, noble, poor, and humble. Each of them has a distinct superpower, and they each carry a talisman that makes them easily recognizable in depictions. According to the legend, the eight immortals were invited to a Magical Peach Conference. However, they encountered an ocean during their travels. Although they could have easily taken their usual form of transportation—the cloud, one of the immortals, Lv Dongbin 吕洞宾, suggested that they could each use their own superpowers to cross over. Because of the fantastical nature of the plot, this

8 tale inspired many artworks in media such as porcelain, ivory, embroidery, and root sculpture

(figs. 8 and 9)

Fig. 8. The Eight Immortals. Chinese FengShui Brass. Photo: aliexpress.com.

Fig. 9. Eight Immortals Soaring Over the Ocean Dome. Gold Collection Counted Cross Stitch Kit Fairies Goddess Fairy. Photo: aliexpress.com.

As previously mentioned, the central figure of the L.C. Bates Museum sculpture closely resembles the Daoist immortal Tieguai Li 铁拐李 [Iron Crutch Li]. According to legend, Li used to be a handsome man who had achieved a high level of Dao that allowed him to separate his soul from his body. One day, his soul wandered out for too long that his disciple lost his body.

Unable to return to his original body, Li had to attach his soul to the corpse of a beggar he found nearby. From then on, he was depicted as a beggar—gruff, hairy, dirty, carrying a gourd as his

9 talisman and a walking stick for his crippled leg (figs. 10 and 11). The central figure in the L.C.

Bates sculpture contains many key features associated with Li, such as the gourd, the walking stick, and the messy appearance, confirming that this is very likely a rendition of Li.

Fig. 10. Tieguai Li 铁拐李 [Iron Crutch Li]. Chinese ink painting.

Fig. 11. Tieguai Li 铁拐李 [Iron Crutch Li], boxwood. Forbidden City Museum.

The fact that this Chinese root sculpture is on display in a small museum in central Maine shows the global influence of this form of art. The brothers Jan and Pieter Bisschop, wealthy cotton traders in Rotterdam, had 23 sets of Chinese sandalwood figures when their collection was sold in 1771 (van Campen 163). In Europe, such works of art were found in royal collections and were considered “as rarities” but, “to judge by eighteenth-century estate inventories and sale catalogues, they [. . .] became quite common in Dutch private collections” (van Campen 163).

In the United States and as early as the 18th century, such sculptures became popular became popular along with soapstone carvings (Bedloe 152).

Despite international trade, this artform is facing difficulties due to environmental, cultural, and economic factors. According to Xiaoyan Wang, “this ancient and highly appreciated art form is in fact currently a major cause of environmental damage” (1). Because of environmental limitations, it is more difficult for current artists to source the appropriate materials for their creations. In addition, not fewer people are willing to learn this ancient craft. In interviews Pi Su conducted with several traditional root sculptors, we learn that trainees “basically all have gone through three stages: training period, growth period and creative period” (367). Likened to the slow creation of a root sculpture, the training to become a root sculptor is similarly a long process that many people nowadays are would not willing, or able, to undertake. Although this artform has been named intangible heritage in Xiaoshan City, Sun Yongliang fears its disappearance (youku.com). Furthermore, there is the question of supply and demand. Even if there are enough root sculptors to continue this craft, there does not seem to be as high of a market demand for this craft anymore. A beautiful dragon-shaped root sculpture measuring 5.6 meters in length and took four years to complete continues is still available for purchase. Experts

11 estimates the value of the piece to be around ￥580,000, and it is rumored that the artist rejected a previous offer of ￥400,000 (youku.com).

Because of all these barriers, it seems like the only path for root sculptures nowadays is to be on display in a glass case in museums. It would be a shame to see this art form disappear, as when it nearly disappeared during the Republic of China. Preserving this artform involves continuing creating works that require years and years of training and practice. Time and patience is a concept deeply rooted in not only the creation of root sculpture but also Daoist philosophies, yet this is a luxury that not many of us can afford nowadays. Although I do not know what the future holds for this ancient artform, I hope that the cultural underpinnings as described in this paper will be able to help future visitors to the L.C. Bates Museum to “return to their roots” in their own interpretation of this sculpture.

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