TAIWAN woodcarving master Chen Minghu would rather be called an artisan than an artist despite the fact his creations can be seen across Asia.

One of his most famous works is a Buddha piece at Amitayus Temple in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

"An authentic artist, in my eyes, should be a totally mad man. But I'm not mad enough now," says Chen, 56, who moved from Taiwan to Hangzhou more than 20 years ago.

"I concentrate more on improving and studying my craft, which is the responsibility of an artisan," says Chen.

In China, woodcarving - whether it's furniture, buildings or handicrafts - is considered a refined and demanding artwork popular among the literati.

Most of his works involve Buddhism, such as figures of Buddha and woodcarving murals. Chen can also do furniture pieces and carvings on buildings, but he prefers working on large sculptures.

His works are known for their strong attention to detail. Viewers can clearly detect hair, eyebrows and vivid expressions on a face the size of a thumb-nail.

Chen also excels at hollow double-sided woodcarving. This technique involves hollowing out a piece of wood and carving a scene on both sides. The intriguing effect forces people to look at it from different angles to appreciate the work. It requires sophisticated skills and also an artistic sense about composition.

In Hangzhou one of Chen's signature works is the 3-meter-tall wood sculpture of Guan Gong, the greatest martialist in ancient China. The camphorwood sculpture is in the center of Hefang Street and weighs three tons. Camphorwood has a special scent and look that usually impresses viewers.

"Good wood work requires professional skills and also precious timber," Chen says.

The sculpture of Guan Gong took two years to complete, but compared to some of his other pieces, it is not that long.

Born in Lukang Town of Taiwan, where woodcarving is an industry, Chen says he was naturally inspired by local craftsmen as well as his parents and relatives, who had also devoted themselves to woodcarving.

After studying sculpture in Taiwan, Chen went to Japan to further his education when he was 23 years old. He established his own craft factory in Taiwan three years later.

He is highly regarded in Japan and Southeast Asia. His nickname is "Minghu Dao" - dao literally means knife, and the name is a salute to his superb skills.

Chen says he moved to Hangzhou because "compared with Japan and Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland has unparalleled resources" in terms of craftsmen and supply, especially precious camphorwood.

He eventually chose Hangzhou as his second home, where he could meet and work with the seasoned hands of well-known "Dongyang Woodcarving" members, a famous woodcarving faction in China that originated in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province.

Chen now runs his own company, Hangzhou Fushan Crafts Company, in Bingjiang District. Now he mainly does design and directing work, but sometimes he will still do large sculptures.

Chen is a stickler for quality.

"Good-quality works take time," he says. "It usually takes me two years or more to complete a satisfying art work."

Breaking the limitation

Chen tries to break the limitation of many craftsmen in which they focus only on technique. Chen says he takes great care regarding the cultural content of each piece.

"It's not just the vivid images but the meaningful story behind the work that really matters," Chen says.

He usually chooses a story as a theme before he starts a new piece. For example, his work "Make Up for Each Other's Deficiencies" features a famous story from Buddhism.

The story is about two brothers - one with long legs and short arms, the other with the opposite. On their own, they can't do much so they help each other to make up for the deficiencies between them.

"My products are different from general handicrafts," Chen says. "I won't repeat the idea or the model of the works. So a collector knows they are getting something unique."

Chen also breaks conventional rules and puts his own insight into each piece.

"I like to do what others can't do," he says.

For example, Chen's work "Five Gentlemen," a center-hollowed stump with carvings outside that combines five plants (each represents one spirit), dazzles people because of its complexity as five plants tangle, extend and swathe each other.

Lately, Chen has concentrated on a piece called "500 Arhats," which he started to design and carve about seven years ago.

In Buddhism, an arhat is someone who has attained the goal of a religious life. Traditional views on the "500 Arhats" usually depict the characters as people who do not have to worry about doing regular things. Chen turned this around and shows them as ordinary people who do everyday things like eating, sleeping, washing cloths and reading books.

"Where is the Buddha?" Chen asks. "It's in your mind and helps to clean your inner heart."

Some handicrafts have been in a state of decline for years, something Chen clearly regrets.

"China has the most brilliant culture in the world," he says. "Take crafts as an example, Sado, Ikebana and so forth, they all come from us.

"However, we Chinese don't treasure them enough and these cultures have become popular in other countries and eventually become theirs," he adds. "Time is the best carver. But most people nowadays don't understand it. As for me, the biggest motivation and goal in life is to leave some classic works behind."

Every piece he creates is essentially an extension of his heart and soul. His goal is not to sell each piece to the highest bidder.

"Like people, every work has its own destiny," he says. "I'd like to put each piece where it should be as money means little to me. Sometimes I won't sell my work no matter how much a customer offers, however, I may give it to someone if I think they deserve it."

Chen is not easily satisfied with his career, but as for his life, he seems quite content and owes much to his wife for taking the journey with him and giving him five children.

As for his best piece, Chen says: "I like to compete with myself and my best work hasn't appeared yet."