By the end of the Qing Dynasty there lived in
Tonghai a skillful wooden caver named Gao Yingmei, whose Carved Wooden
Chequer Door kept in Sansheng Palace shows a high craftsmanship and
has been regarded as a Unique of Huaxia.
Gao Yingmei (1861!1932), an outstanding wooden carver whose father
was a skillful wooden carver, was born in the Hexi Town of Tonghai
County. In his childhood, Gao Yingmei loved watching opera and drawing.
He learned to carve from his father and became a useful assistant
to his father after several years of practice. When he grew up, Gao
Yingmei, being an apprentice to Lu Yishan who was a prominent wooden
carver in Daying Village, was appointed to build the Jukui Garret.
Gao Yingmei practiced in Tonghai, Hexi, Gejiu and other places,
leaving behind him four woodcarvings. The woodcarving in the Daxiong
Palace of Yuanming Temple in Hexi was destroyed in 1983. One was kept
in the cultural center. One was collected in a museum in France. One
was kept in the Sansheng Palace in Xiaoxin Village in Tonghai. Sansheng
Palace Woodcarving is a typical masterpiece by Gao Yingmei. Gao Yingmei
not only could reflect the nature objectively, but also reappear history
vividly and imaginatively. Visitors may feel pleasant and gain deep
inspiration by watching the masterpieces. Source:Travelling
in Yuxi |