Hainan Coconut Carvings
By admin on 2015-01-14

Hainan coconut carvings enjoy a long history. As early as the Tang Dynasty, people began to create wine cups using coconut shells. During the late Tang Dynasty, Lu Guimeng, a poet, wrote a famous poem concerning the coconut wine cup. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hainan Province sent yearly tributes of coconut carvings to Beijing.

Hainan coconut carvings create craftwork from coconut shells by carving craftsmen in Hainan Island. The coconut carvings are of different patterns, are simple and elegant in color, and have a specific artistic style. As early as the end the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, coconut carving craftwork reached a high standard. In the following 300 years, craftsmen gradually developed the craftsmanship into perfection after their continuous hard work, and they finally formed their own specific style.

The skills needed for Hainan coconut carvings are surface relief sculpturing, tri-dimensional relief sculpturing, reversible pattern relief sculpturing, as well as shell-beset carvings. There are more than 300 different kinds of coconut carving products, such as tableware, tea sets, wine sets, smoking sets, and vases, as well as various hanging and standing screens. These are practical with their fresh patterns, refined designs, simple styles, and good texture.

Hainan coconut carvings also consist of displays for appreciation, hanging pieces, and daily items of both artistic quality and practicality. Recently, craftsmen developed coconut paintings with simple patterns, smart conceptions, and curious modeling, which added freshness to the traditional coconut carving techniques.