Artist works hard to innovate 3,700 year old art of seal carving

Su Donghe carves a seal with a knife. (Photo/CCTV News)

Su Donghe is an inheritor of seal carving in Beijing, and mainly carves thin zhuwen (red characters) on seals. Su began studying seal carving from a number of masters at a young age. He has dedicated his life to spreading its culture and striving to come up with innovative artworks that are aesthetically appealing to people today.

Seal carving is a traditional Chinese art form developed from carving techniques, and has a history of over 3,700 years. In ancient China, a seal was a person’s signature, and was widely used by emperors, officials, writers and artists. Every carved seal is an illustration of its creator’s artistic concepts.

Seal carving became an intangible cultural heritage item on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2009.