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Handicraftsman Cai Shuikuang (R) discusses with his nephew and apprentice Cai Chaorong in Xiamen, Southeast China's Fujian province. Cai Shuikuang is the 12th generation disciple of Cai Lacquer Thread Sculpture, which has a history of more than 300 years and has been listed as the state-level non-material cultural heritages in China. [Photo/Xinhua]
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Cai Shuikuang is known for his feat of introducing the technique of bodiless (hollow) lacquerware into lacquer thread sculpture. Born in 1939, he learnt the basic craft from his father then went on to ardently explore ways to better it. He makes the inner body with clay or wood and then pastes several layers of silk or linen on it with lacquer. After the mould is dry, Cai removes the solid inner body, leaving the shaped silk or linen husk as a base for a lacquer thread sculpture. These creations are much lighter, but just as solid as those made with conventional methods.
Working together with his son Cai Shidong, 13th generation heir of the family business, Cai Shuikuang has made a line of lifelike sculptures that have received high praise at home and abroad. Works by the father and son have won UNESCO's Award of Excellence for Handicrafts.
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