Enduring allure of Huizhou carvings in modern times

In individual homes, families often prefer Huizhou style and add carving elements as interior decorations. Although that makes it more expensive, Pan says that about 10 percent of their customers requiring home decorations still want them.

"Huizhou-style buildings symbolize Huizhou culture, and there are people who love them. Even if three types of carvings are not practical now, people still want them for cultural inheritance," says Pan.

Cheng says besides directly applying carvings in pseudo-classic buildings, designers also gain inspiration from such old architectural elements and apply their language to modern buildings and other artistic forms.

Just as he says, three carvings continue to inspire modern people. In picturesque Yixian, which is famous for the World Heritage sites Xidi and Hongcun villages, one can come across people practicing portraying three carvings.

Xiao Xiao, a local postgraduate student at Ma'anshan Teacher's College, is one of the people who often practice painting skills there.

"I have found the lines of carvings to be very smooth. When portraying them, I often wonder how ancient craftspeople could carve them so beautifully and dynamically. Some patterns only made by several lines are vivid enough to catch your attention. They are totally different from the stiff lines carved by machines," says Xiao.

She is also impressed by the light and shadow effects of wood carvings.

"Huizhou residences often have open interior courtyards allowing sunshine to enter the rooms. When the sunlight shines through the carved wooden windows, it can cast dappled and varied light and shadows on the wall. With the movement of the sun, the light and shadow effects change as well. What an artful design!" says Xiao.

"Beauty is made by humans and nature together. It reflects the traditional Chinese idea that people are an integral part of nature. I believe that concept is useful for modern design as well."