There is an old saying that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and most of us realize the truthfulness of that axiom. It basically is saying that each of us will see something different from our own perspective, with some of us finding it beautiful and others finding it repulsive. There are going to be times, however when we see something that all of us find to be beautiful and when we see it, we won’t be able to take our eyes off of it. That is the case with this spectacular art piece that you might overlook at first.
When you first walk into the large room that has this massive tree trunk, you might think you are looking at an old, rotten piece of wood. When you get closer, however, you quickly realize that it is one of the most beautiful pieces of art that you could possibly see. The piece is known as ‘Along The River During The Quinming Festival’ and it was carved by Zheng Chunhui. It is a 12-foot long tree and the detail of what he carved into it is going to blow your mind.
Not only is this an impressive piece, but it has also earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest wood carving.
The piece has over 550 carved people among buildings and trees. The entire carving is more than 39 feet long.
It is a replica of the Chinese painting, “Along The River During The Quinming Festival” that was painted about 900 years ago.
Each Chinese dynasty has passed on the custom of interpreting the famous painting.
It has so much detail of life in the Song Dynasty that it is like a 3D history book.
It took 4 years for Chunhui to complete the carving. The Quinming Festival refers to a springtime festival on the 15th day of the spring equinox. He really hit the timing for the release of the carving.