Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works

As a province rich in local artistic traditions, Zhejiang has cultivated varied and colorful folk culture and arts. Folk leisure activities are flourishing throughout the province, including the dragon dance, lion dance, hobby-horse dance, stilt walking, and various lantern shows. Folk songs can be heard in the fields, in the mountains, and on the rivers and lakes. Moreover, Zhejiang has various kinds of folk musical instruments.

Famous all over the world are "Three Kinds of Carvings and One Kind of Sculpture", namely Dongyang wood carving, Qingtian stone carving, Wenzhou boxwood carving, and Ou sculpture. Dongyang wood carving was most prosperous in the last two feudal dynasties, i.e., the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911). In terms of craftsmanship, Dongyang wood carving features high relief, multi-layers, well-conceived composition and an effect of solidity. The arrangment of patterns is elaborate yet controlled. Boxwood carving, so named because it is carved out of boxwood, is a sort of circular carving art in Yueqing, Wenzhou. Qingtian stone carving is the shaping of pyrophyllite with which this area is blessed. This kind of stone is colorful and artists design their works based on the specific stone's natural color, texture and shape so that the final products are a harmony of nature and art. Wenzhou Ou sculpture has a history of more than 1,000 years. It is also known as "oil sludge sculpture". Folk artists carve human figures or objects out of oil sludge plastered on plain boards or walls, looking both like oil paintings and relief.

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