Tanmujiang wooden comb craft inheritor in SW China's Chongqing

Tanmujiang wooden comb traditional making craft, which combines the skills of color decoration, engraving, lacquering, and gold gilding, was listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing Municipality in 2009. Using boxwood, ebony or sandalwood as comb materials, craftsmen carve patterns such as characters, flowers and birds on them, and turn a common article in daily life into an artwork with aesthetic values.

Yu Dahong arranges a wooden comb he engraved at a workshop of Tanmujiang factory in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 5, 2024.  (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Yu Dahong, a representative inheritor of the art, set out on wood carving in 1989 when he was 13 years old. Having engaged in the art for over 30 years, he has made numerous comb artworks that earned him various medals of national and provincial levels.

Yu Dahong engraves on a wooden comb at a workshop of Tanmujiang factory in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Focusing on the research, preservation and innovation of the craft, he puts his heart and soul into passing on his experiences to his apprentices nowadays. "As an inheritor, I have the responsibility of passing down the craft," said Yu.

Yu Dahong shows a wooden comb he engraved at a workshop of Tanmujiang factory in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)