The Montain Gourd Pyrography is represented by the Chen’s Gourd Pyrography in Wenshui Town, Pingyi County, Linyi City, Shandong Province. The composition is vivid and the technique is skillful. The gourd works created by pyrography are lifelike whether they depict landscapes, figures or the twelve zodiac animals. They are exquisite and unique, belonging to traditional folk handicrafts of China and being precious treasures of folk art.
The origin of Mengshan gourd pyrography can be traced back to the Jiaqing period of Emperor Renzong in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Chen Guangzhi, the 11th generation ancestor of the Chen family in Pingyi, was serving as a lecturer for Confucius, who was the 69th generation grandson. Emperor Jiaqing personally appointed Guangzhi to manage internal affairs of the Kong family. Gourds had been widely planted among the people since the Zhou dynasty, so gourd pyrography had already spread widely among them. By the time of Chen Guiqing, the 12th generation ancestor, due to his disinterest in officialdom but love for gourd art creation, his pyrography on gourds was exquisite and he excelled at landscape painting techniques. The 14th generation ancestor Chen Baolou excelled at freehand figure painting and especially skilled at pyrographing images of twelve zodiac animals with strong dynamic effects that were almost lifelike. His works can be considered as masterpieces passed down through generations but many have been lost due to their age.
Because “gourd” has a homophonic sound with “fortune and prosperity” in dialects related to blessings and wealth, and it also has practical values such as being edible, medicinal, and ornamental; people consider it an auspicious object. Patterns such as “fortune”, “prosperity”, “longevity”, or artistic designs like landscapes sketches or mandarin ducks playing in water are burned onto gourds which are full of interest and vitality; they convey emotions and wishes for blessings and good fortune while adding joyfulness and longevity. Therefore, Mengshan gourd pyrography has a long history among ordinary people; it is widespread and deeply loved by them.
The Montain Gourd Pyrography has been passed down through generations of the Chen family. The current inheritor, Chen Qinggui, is a member of the “China Arts and Crafts Association” and the “China Folk Literature and Art Association”. In 2007, he was awarded the title of “Shandong Province Master of Arts and Crafts” by the Shandong Provincial Government. His exquisite skills, profound artistic conception, rigorous composition, inheritance, and innovation complement each other. Seventeen works have won national-level and provincial-level awards, with over 100 works collected by renowned artists from countries such as the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore.
In June 2006 at the first Shandong International Cultural Industry Expo，UNESCO officials highly praised it and wrote words to encourage him. His representative work “Three Stars Arching” has achieved remarkable artistic achievements in China’s Grand Exhibition of Arts and Crafts，standing out among hundreds of classic works nationwide，with significant influence. It is understood that Chen Qinggui also established a gourd pyrography studio and exhibition hall in his hometown Yongxi Village. During student vacations，students come to his studio to learn about gourd pyrography artistry while visiting Chinese folk art treasures.