With a history spanning over three centuries, Xiamen's lacquer thread sculpture represents a living continuation of ancient Chinese Buddhist statue craftsmanship.

This delicate art form traces its origins to the line-carving techniques of the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, particularly the raised paste and clay thread carving methods.

Developed around the 17th century during the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, it reached maturity in the late Qing dynasty — flourishing alongside the prosperity of Xiamen city's religious sculpture industry.

The traditional creation process involves four meticulous stages: sculpting the base form, applying the foundation layer, decorating with lacquer threads and finally gilding and coloring.

The signature "lacquer thread clay" — a pliable mixture of aged brick powder, raw lacquer and boiled tung oil — is repeatedly pounded until achieving perfect elasticity.

Artisans then painstakingly hand-roll these into fine threads, manipulating them through coiling, knotting, winding and stacking techniques to create raised patterns on lacquered surfaces with astonishing precision.

What sets this craft apart is its extraordinary elevation of linear aesthetics in Chinese decorative arts. The freely conceived yet rigorously executed designs demonstrate unparalleled versatility in line expression, transforming two-dimensional patterns into exquisite relief work.

Every minute detail reflects absolute technical mastery, making handcraftsmanship the very soul of this art form.

Having survived centuries of change, lacquer thread sculpture now faces its greatest challenge. The complexity of techniques and declining number of practitioners threaten the survival of this intangible cultural heritage.

Preservation efforts have become urgent to prevent the disappearance of such irreplaceable traditional skills, that so beautifully embody the patience and spirituality of Chinese artistic tradition.