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Woodcarving Classification

     By social function, woodcarving can be classified into religious woodcarving, workmanship woodcarving, and architectural and decorative woodcarving.

1. Religious woodcarving

   (1) Woodcarving of the statues of Buddha
     The woodcarving of statues of Buddha in Taiwan emphasize charm with exquisite carving skills also, affected by religious believes, traditional rituals and ceremony rules. One can never be too careful about each step. From the selection of materials and the day to start carving, to design, drawing, incanting, and drawing eyes, every step is very cautious. The carving of each statue is prudent and solemn.
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   (2) Utensils
     In addition to the statues, related utensils also have spiritual power, such as, beast pendant with the Eight Diagrams, the Five Barracks, peach wood charms against evil, the Five Thunder Token, baldachins for memorial tablet and Buddha statues and ancestral tablets, sedan chairs for deities, and so on.
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2. Workmanship woodcarving

     (1) Technical products
   Technical products refer to the practical items made in the form of woodcarving for actual use including furniture, dishes and chopsticks, fruit bowls, ashtrays, flower beds, flower stands, and so on. The molds for red turtle cake are the most common and essential tools for festivals with a variety of auspicious patterns, such as: turtle, peach, money, fish, and silver dollar, loved by the public.
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     (2) Handicraft articles
   Adhering to traditional skills, focusing on aesthetics, craftsmen create ornamental and decorative carvings which have gone beyond the limit of practical needs, become independent artworks, and emphasize artistry and creators' personalities.
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3. Architectural and decorative woodcarving

     Architectural woodcarving can be classified into two categories, i.e., temples and residence. The main woodcarving is those for temples. Temples are places for the gathering of residents and also carriers of excellent decorative woodcarving art. Woodcarving on accessories and structures of a building adds beauty and liveliness to the original monotonous building with exquisite techniques and functions like pursuit of good fortune and avoidance of disaster, indoctrination, and so on. The decorative topics include supernatural being, auspicious animals, landscapes, flowers and birds, antique artifacts, and historical stories. Inner expectations are often conveyed by partial tone.

 (e.g., the pronunciation of Chinese characters of lian hua (lotus) and ruyi have similar pronunciation of nian nian ru yi (Everything goes well every year)).

(Source: Shih, M. L. (2008), Study of the Cultural Creative Industry of Wood Carving in Taiwan¡XUsing Lukang Woodcarving as an Example. The photos are provided by Master Chin-fu Shih or taken by the team members.)

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2016 Lukang Junior High School Production Team : The Little Wood