Related News
Local creator's command of ice carvings
By Qian Jie and Xu Wei |
April 25, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SHANGHAI has not been known for its talented ice sculptors. The majority of noted ice sculptures are the creations of veteran artists from China's northeastern provinces. But in Fengbang Village in Jiangqiao Town lives an ice carving enthusiast, Li Xiaojun.
Over the past 10 years, Li has sculpted a wide range of subjects, from fruits and vegetables to complicated portraits. In March, Li represented China at the 35th Japan National Ice Carving Exhibition in Tokyo and received the top award, the highest honor a Chinese ice sculptor has ever achieved internationally.
Li, seen in a video clip capturing his process during the contest, modeled an exquisite ice sculpture depicting an angel falling down to Earth from heaven. The angel was vividly carved with different modeling tools.
Li says that he usually uses a block of ice for the sculpture, but his design for the contest was a huge 2-meter-high work which required him to "weld" pieces of ice together with water after using warm aluminum plates to flatten the surfaces to be joined. The whole process took more than two hours.
"Whenever I finish a sculpture, I feel strong fulfillment," Li says.
Although Li has a solid background in drawing and sculpting, ice carving was initially a challenge for him. He bought many reference books and studied ice sculpting by watching online tutorial videos.
His early works were not so successful. Sometimes a small mistake turned all his hard labor to nothing. However, he didn't give up. After busy working days, Li spared no effort to improve his ice carving skills. His efforts paid off and he officially took up a career as an ice sculptor with the Dongjiao State Guest Hotel. At that time, Li's carvings of creatures such as dragon and phoenix received wide acclaim from the hotel guests. In 2009, Li garnered a bronze medal for ice carving at the 11th FHC International Culinary Arts Competition.
In the eyes of amateurs, Li is already a famed young ice sculptor. But he is still not satisfied with his carvings, which in his opinion are not quite delicate and ingenious enough.
Last year at the recommendation of the executive chef from the Garden Hotel Shanghai, he accidentally got to meet the prestigious Japanese ice sculptor Mitsuo Shimizu. Li went to Japan to receive ice carving lessons covering cutting, design and welding skills from the master. After one month's study, Li's ice carving skills improved greatly.
"I used to select simple subjects for my sculptures, but now I prefer subjects of ingenious design and rich cultural connotation to highlight the transparency and crystal-clear charm of ice," he says.
After he came back to China, his recent works featuring mermaid, lion, phoenix and dragon are endowed with an intensive and distinctive flavor of regional culture, which quickly established his fame as a celebrated ice sculptor in Shanghai. Nowadays, many of his exquisite and stunning carvings are displayed at local five-star hotels for weddings, corporate annual parties and ice-breaking ceremonies.
There is no end for learning. When talking about his future ice carving plans, Li says that he will continue to learn the expertise from his Japanese tutor Mitsuo Shimizu. He promises that one day he will become a top-notch ice sculptor in the world just like his teacher and introduce high-level international ice carving arts and technology to China.
Over the past 10 years, Li has sculpted a wide range of subjects, from fruits and vegetables to complicated portraits. In March, Li represented China at the 35th Japan National Ice Carving Exhibition in Tokyo and received the top award, the highest honor a Chinese ice sculptor has ever achieved internationally.
Li, seen in a video clip capturing his process during the contest, modeled an exquisite ice sculpture depicting an angel falling down to Earth from heaven. The angel was vividly carved with different modeling tools.
Li says that he usually uses a block of ice for the sculpture, but his design for the contest was a huge 2-meter-high work which required him to "weld" pieces of ice together with water after using warm aluminum plates to flatten the surfaces to be joined. The whole process took more than two hours.
"Whenever I finish a sculpture, I feel strong fulfillment," Li says.
Although Li has a solid background in drawing and sculpting, ice carving was initially a challenge for him. He bought many reference books and studied ice sculpting by watching online tutorial videos.
His early works were not so successful. Sometimes a small mistake turned all his hard labor to nothing. However, he didn't give up. After busy working days, Li spared no effort to improve his ice carving skills. His efforts paid off and he officially took up a career as an ice sculptor with the Dongjiao State Guest Hotel. At that time, Li's carvings of creatures such as dragon and phoenix received wide acclaim from the hotel guests. In 2009, Li garnered a bronze medal for ice carving at the 11th FHC International Culinary Arts Competition.
In the eyes of amateurs, Li is already a famed young ice sculptor. But he is still not satisfied with his carvings, which in his opinion are not quite delicate and ingenious enough.
Last year at the recommendation of the executive chef from the Garden Hotel Shanghai, he accidentally got to meet the prestigious Japanese ice sculptor Mitsuo Shimizu. Li went to Japan to receive ice carving lessons covering cutting, design and welding skills from the master. After one month's study, Li's ice carving skills improved greatly.
"I used to select simple subjects for my sculptures, but now I prefer subjects of ingenious design and rich cultural connotation to highlight the transparency and crystal-clear charm of ice," he says.
After he came back to China, his recent works featuring mermaid, lion, phoenix and dragon are endowed with an intensive and distinctive flavor of regional culture, which quickly established his fame as a celebrated ice sculptor in Shanghai. Nowadays, many of his exquisite and stunning carvings are displayed at local five-star hotels for weddings, corporate annual parties and ice-breaking ceremonies.
There is no end for learning. When talking about his future ice carving plans, Li says that he will continue to learn the expertise from his Japanese tutor Mitsuo Shimizu. He promises that one day he will become a top-notch ice sculptor in the world just like his teacher and introduce high-level international ice carving arts and technology to China.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
