A national cultural intangible heritage, Colored Stone Inlay is a folk art that combines the skills of stone carving, relief carving and wood carving. The works produced are mahogany or camphorwood that is shaped into patterns and then inlaid with natural pyrophyllite.

In Wenzhou city, the traditional art of Colored Stone Inlay boasts a history of more than 400 years, and is one of the most valued folk arts in China. Over time, folk artists have developed many inlay techniques, such as direct inlay, prefabricated inlay, among others. As well as inlay on flat surface, Colored Stone Inlay can also be applied on relief, enhancing the 3D rendering of the inlaid object.

A Wenzhou native and an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage, Miao Chengjin has been known for his stunning skills in his 60-odd-year career as a Colored Stone Inlay craftsman. His works, including the Chinese Zodiac,  Du Fu and Poetry and Master Hongyi, have won him a host of top awards. In fact, Miao is one of the few in the industry who are able to create “large” pieces of works that are both exquisite and vivid. Examples include The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and  Manjusri Bodhisattva Teaching Dharma.

Inspired by his father, Miao Yichuan, Miao Chengjin’s son, also became a master of the Colored Stone Inlay craft. Majoring in design studies and adept in business, Miao Yichuan has positioned Colored Stone Inlay works as both high-end art products and products relatable to people’s everyday life. It has greatly boosted the sales of these works and provided new ideas for the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage.