Bamboo upgrade: An artist shows the way

A man in Chongqing who has been turning seemingly worthless bamboo shells into exquisite carvings for 43 years has now attracted public interest.

Wen Yuguang, born in 1951 in Chongqing, is the founder of Chongqing Jiangbei Bamboo Shell Carvings, which was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing in 2014.

In 1969, as an educated young man, he responded to the national call to learn from the farmers and work in Shizhu Tujia autonomous county of Chongqing.

While there, he noticed the Tujia women cutting the bamboo shells and stitching them into the soles of shoes to make them waterproof. Astonished and inspired, Wen came up with the idea of using bamboo shells for calligraphy, painting and carving.

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