Editor's Note: This article is produced in collaboration with the Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies as part of a series of ongoing reports exploring the city's abundant resources in intangible cultural heritages.

Gourd pyrography. (Photo/Pan Huadong)

As the saying goes, “The gourd symbolizes prosperity and happiness.” With its elegant shape and auspicious meaning, the gourd is a precious cultural treasure that has been polished, refined, and passed down through the long river of history. It is also an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Gourd pyrography, which originated during the Ming and Qing dynasties, continues to be cherished to this day.

Gourd pyrography, also known as gourd burning or fire-pen art, involves using an electrically heated tool to create sepia-toned images on natural gourds. These images often depict landscapes, flowers, birds, calligraphy, and more. After the pyrography process, the gourd is hand-polished. The finished product features smooth lines, lifelike details, and an elegant, antique charm, making it highly popular among people. Whether as a gift for friends or elders, gourd pyrography is an excellent choice.

In 2016, gourd pyrography was recognized as a Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage of Chongqing.

As the saying goes, “A minute on stage takes ten years of practice offstage.” Mastering a traditional craft like gourd pyrography is no easy feat and cannot be achieved overnight. Creating gourd pyrography is a meticulous and challenging process that involves steps such as sanding, polishing, and painting. First, selecting the right gourd is crucial. Typically, a gourd with mature skin aged over a year is chosen. After careful sanding and polishing, the artist sketches the design with a pencil. Second, achieving a perfect pyrography requires precise control of heat and pressure, emphasizing the principle of “thinking before burning and forming with each stroke.” Thus, the essence of pyrography lies in its artistic execution.

Gourd pyrography. (Photo/Pan Huadong)

Gourd pyrography. (Photo/Pan Huadong)

Gourd pyrography demands a high level of skill from artists. They must remain calm, focused, and dedicated throughout the process, striving for perfection. By combining the natural wooden surface of the gourd with traditional Chinese pyrography techniques, artists use heated irons to create their desired designs. Techniques such as outline drawing, meticulous detailing, and expressive strokes are employed. Each artist’s interpretation of art and their handling of the iron result in varying shades and textures on the gourd’s smooth surface, ranging from dark browns to vibrant yellows and whites, creating rich and diverse visuals. Once completed, the gourd comes to life with lifelike characters, vivid wildlife, and stunning landscapes, appearing almost three-dimensional, like a beautiful ink painting. The integration of the iron’s marks with the gourd’s natural form and color produces a mesmerizing effect, elevating gourd pyrography to an enchanting art form.

For thousands of years, the gourd has been cherished as both a symbol of good fortune and an object of beauty, treasured by people everywhere. Through the art of pyrography, the humble gourd has ascended from a simple rural fruit to a masterpiece of artistic expression, combining rustic charm with refined elegance. This traditional folk art holds significant aesthetic and collectible value. It is essential to preserve and promote this rich heritage of Chinese culture and share it with the world.

Chinese script: Bu Hongdan

Tutored by: Wen Chunxue

Translation: Su Yi

Tutored by: Wei Jingjun, Lu Siying

Photo by: Pan Huadong

Voice-over: Wang Xueying

Tutored by: Ren Yi