The World’s Longest Wood Carving

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Not one of mine – obviously. This amazing sculpture is by Chinese artist Zheng Chunhui. The wooden carving took four years to complete. What really impresses me is that it was carved from one tree and he has left the essence of the tree there as part of the sculpture.

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Measuring 12.286 meters long, 3.075 meters high and 2.401 meters wide, it’s a carving of a famous scroll painting called ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’ (c 1085-1145), which is housed in the same museum.

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It really manages to capture the hustle and bustle of daily life daily of the people and the landscape of the capital, Bianjing (today Kaifeng). The original painting is one of the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings and ha<s even been called, ‘China’s Mona Lisa’ for its recognizability. [Source]

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The intricate sculpture features boats, bridges, buildings and over 550 individually carved people.

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Here’s part of the original scroll painting.

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Thanks to China News Service and Lv Ming and Baidu Tieba for the photography.