Traditional eggshell carving attracts children

Carving a golden carp on an empty eggshell, high school student Lu Wenbo has spent most of his winter holiday at a community cultural activity center in northwestern China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

“The golden carp foretells good luck. When I’m finished, I’ll share my work on WeChat,” Lu said.

Eggshell carving is often called “the most fragile art” as it requires exact precision and care before, during, and even after carving.

The folk art has a long history and originates from the custom of giving carved eggs as gifts at weddings and birthday parties.

During this Spring Festival holiday, a group of folk artists started to teach children and teenagers in the Kuangzhong community of Huinong district in Shizuishan city.

“Children have become interested in the traditional folk art during the Spring Festival holiday,” said Li Zhanlin, a local official in the community.

Recently, the community has launched three eggshell carving training activities, attracting at least 20 children each time.

Carving delicate and exquisite patterns, including flowers, birds, mythical creatures and the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, on the thin and fragile eggshells has aroused the curiosity of the children.

“Each hair of the animals can be clearly seen on the carved eggshell,” Lu said.

Learning from the artists, Lu and his friends started to punch holes in the eggs, extract the contents, paint the eggshell and then carve it.

“The eggshells can easily break in the process, but the children are very focused,” said Zhu Jinjun, a tutor at the community cultural activity center.

“Eggshell carving is an intangible cultural heritage. When I teach the children how to carve, I like to tell them relevant historical and cultural knowledge.”

They may not become folk art masters from the short holiday training, but Zhu hopes the activities can help the children experience the traditional culture.

Zhu, who is also a retired miner, learned to carve eggshells on his own.

The center established studios for folk artists like Zhu in 2017 to encourage them to help spread the traditional culture and arts.

“With the help of these folk artists, children in the community are becoming increasingly interested in traditional art such as Chinese calligraphy, painting, paper cutting, and the diabolo (or the Chinese yo-yo),” Li said.