Recently, a wood carving titled ‘Magpie on Branch’ is being exhibited at the China Rosewood Museum. ‘It’s simply incredible!’ exclaimed Chi Chongrui, a national first-class actor and deputy director of the China Rosewood Museum, as he admired the piece. He was amazed that such a work could come from an artisan from a small county born in the 1980s. The artist, Shi Dongdong, stood by, filled with excitement.
In early October of this year, Shi Dongdong, a traditional mortise and tenon craftsman from Qidong, was admitted as a student at the China Rosewood Museum. Upon receiving the news, he eagerly traveled to Beijing for training, ‘Only 10 people were admitted nationwide, and I am the only one from a small county.’ Shi Dongdong told reporters that the China Rosewood Museum is the world’s largest art museum with the most extensive collection, a place he has longed to visit. On a square block of camphor wood, half branches and a magpie ‘grow’, simple yet full of vitality; this is Shi Dongdong’s student work. Although the 28-day training was short, Shi Dongdong’s mortise and tenon craftsmanship impressed both teachers and peers, ultimately making him the only outstanding student in his class, marking a perfect end to the training. During the training, Shi Dongdong approached more Ming and Qing dynasty buildings for study, every beam and pillar, every carving. .. Shi Dongdong was immersed in the architectural wisdom of the ancients, fascinated by it, ‘Mortise and tenon structure is part of the intangible cultural heritage, I hope to better pass down this craftsmanship of our ancestors.’ Taking advantage of the warm winter sun, we visited the Qidong Dongchuang Indoor Home Furnishings in Yinyang Town, where piece after piece of naturally grained, simple and elegant wooden furniture was neatly arranged. In Qidong, there are few young carpenters like Shi Dongdong. Born in 1985, he has been in this industry for 25 years and has become a ‘master craftsman’. Shi Dongdong was born into a family of carpenters, practically growing up smelling the scent of wood. Influenced by his elders, Shi Dongdong gradually resonated with the mortise and tenon. In 2000, after graduating from junior high school, he went to his uncle’s rosewood furniture factory as an apprentice at the age of 15. When he first arrived at the factory, he could only do simple tasks, from selecting materials to drawing lines, making mortises to drilling holes, carving to assembly, sanding to waxing, these movements were repeated by Shi Dongdong thousands of times, embedding the subtle skills into his very bones. ‘The masters in the factory come from all over the country, and I have consulted almost every master,’ Shi Dongdong said with a smile. In his spare time, he would also study classic works and historical materials, bit by bit, thoroughly understanding the mysteries of the mortise and tenon structure. In his third year as an apprentice, Shi Dongdong finally got the chance to work on a piece – a four-door wardrobe made of Burmese rosewood.This was the first large wardrobe with sliding doors produced by the factory at that time. Shi Dongdong spent a full two months on it. Typically, many apprentices are unable to complete such large pieces, but not only did Shi Dongdong complete it, his work also became the first of its kind in the factory. It can be said that Shi Dongdong completed the transformation from a ‘woodworker’ to a ‘carpenter’.
In Shi Dongdong’s view, the mortise and tenon structure is a great invention in the history of Chinese timber construction technology. ‘There are some things that if not done now, it will be too late!’ In order to better showcase the craftsmanship of the ancestors, in 2018, Shi Dongdong established his own workshop to replicate various Ming and Qing dynasty furniture from books. From design, prototyping, material selection, marking, sawing tenons, chiseling mortises, to planing lines, all the complicated processes were done by Shi Dongdong himself, and he is capable of completing the entire set of furniture-making skills alone. .. With meticulous attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship, Shi Dongdong gradually gained a reputation, and many people came to him for custom furniture. ‘The charm of the mortise and tenon structure lies in its interlocking nature. Unlike iron nails, wood does not rust or loosen over time. When tenons and mortises are joined, the two pieces of wood become one over time, and they can last for hundreds of years without any issues. ‘ Carpentry work is dirty and tiring, but Shi Dongdong finds it interesting. After more than 20 years in this industry, his hands are covered with calluses, and he has accidentally cut his fingers with a planer… These ‘injuries’ are the marks he has left behind on his journey. ‘How can a carpenter not get hurt?!’ Shi Dongdong will mark his work with a copper seal, branding it with ‘Carpenter Dongdong’, indicating his identity as a ‘craftsman’. In his workshop, there are many novel items: mortise and tenon hairpins, wooden embroidered bags… ‘To better develop traditional carpentry, in addition to adhering to and preserving traditional skills, we also need to innovate and integrate it into people’s lives.’ Flipping through his social circle, you can see the ‘limited edition dowry’ he has been crafting for his daughter – mahogany furniture. ‘I had this idea the moment my daughter was born.’ Shi Dongdong has incorporated his love for his daughter into every inch of mahogany, ‘Now that my daughter is 14 years old, most of the wardrobe, bed, and other furniture have been completed.’ Shi Dongdong usually immerses himself in his own world, neglecting his daughter’s care, ‘I don’t know what else I can do for my daughter, I hope to use my skills to prepare some dowry for her. ‘ ‘Every piece of furniture he makes is like creating a piece of art.’ This is how Shi Dongdong’s friend Chen Yihua evaluates him, ‘The crib, official hat chair, and tea table in my home are all made by Dongdong, both exquisite and practical.’ In Shi Dongdong’s view, every piece of work is imbued with the beauty of time and the warmth of craftsmanship, ‘There is a strong sense of separation when the client takes it away, and when starting a new piece, an inexplicable excitement begins to spread. ‘After more than 20 years of honing his skills, Shi Dongdong’s carpentry craftsmanship has become increasingly refined.
He aspires for more carpenters to carry on this intangible cultural heritage, generation after generation, allowing it to continue to shine brightly.
