Crafting a future for traditional arts

Ren Jian Wan Xiang (The Various Aspects of Life) by Liu, which made a good use of natural hole on root. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At the expo, Liu also displayed a series of works named Ren Jian Wan Xiang (The Various Aspects of Life).

Liu says he cherishes every piece of wood as a gift from nature, which should never be wasted, including the ones with holes.

He is charmed by the beauty of imperfection and thinks every hole speaks about the secrets of time.

Using wood with naturally occurring hole as the mouths of figures, he intends to express the range of human emotions, from sorrow to anger, and happiness.

"The cavity is very connotative, it offers less limitations than carving a mouth on purpose", Liu says, accepting that this will bring different interpretations to his works, "The audiences will see what's inside them."

Liu claims that all his works reflect his thinking, even including the most traditional ones of Maitreya, or the Laughing Buddha.

He spends time investigating what's on the market, what has already been done and to what standard it has been produced. Then he thinks about what should he do next.

"My understanding of a craftsman's spirit is different to most of the others," Liu says, "Only after observation and summarization, I know what I should do to make a difference and create something new."