Li Huaisheng creates a traditional Dongyuan rubbing artwork. [Photo/WeChat account: taianribao]

At the Grand Canal Intangible Cultural Heritage Practice Center of Dongping county in Tai'an, Shandong province, a masterpiece in the form of a rubbing artwork took shape on July 22 under the skilled hands of Li Huaisheng, the sixth-generation inheritor of the traditional Dongyuan rubbing technique.

Li, 42, became immersed himself in the art of rubbings from a young age, shadowing his father's footsteps and later establishing a rubbing studio. Delving deep into the techniques of rubbing and its fusion with traditional Chinese painting, he excels in flat rubbings, high relief rubbings, cliff rubbings, three-dimensional rubbings, and Chinese paintings.

Explaining the essence of rubbings, Li said that they were a traditional intangible cultural heritage craft often hailed as the "ancient camera" for its ability to replicate inscriptions, engravings, and designs from stone steles, woodcuts, coins, bronzeware, and more onto rice paper using ink, creating what is known as a "rubbing".

"Rubbing has been a part of my family legacy for six generations," Li said. His passion for rubbings began at a young age, mimicking his father's techniques to reproduce ancestral artifacts.

Driven by a love for calligraphy, Li eventually ventured into the creation of stele rubbings. He introduced the three-dimensional full-form rubbing technique, integrating it with classical Chinese ink painting and transcending the confines of conventional rubbings. His creations now adorn various mediums like metal, ceramic, clothing, and glass.

Li envisions a future where the Dongyuan traditional rubbing artistry continues to thrive through the ages, a testament to his unwavering dedication to preserving and evolving this ancient craft.