Chinese scuplture

When talking about sculptures, people will most likely think of the ancient Roman architectural sculptures or the Greek nude sculptures; few are acquainted with the history or characteristics of Chinese sculpture. In fact, Chinese sculptural art, while differing greatly from its western counterparts, has thrived in a long historical process of development in many aspects.

Chinese sculptors have sculpted delicate objects, such as figures, animals, plants and landscapes, with a number of new kinds of raw materials, such as sand and coal, apart from the traditional bronze and jade . Many of the works have become precious artistic pearls in the treasure house of Chinese art. Chinese people's daily life is deeply influenced by Chinese sculptures, which are by no means inferior to its Western counterparts. The development of China's modern sculpture is a very outstanding phenomenon. The transition from traditional, mostly religious sculpture occurred since the establishment of People's Republic of China.

Ancient Chinese sculptures, the essence of ancient Chinese arts, have attained great achievements in different sculpture branches and different historical periods. They are rich in subject matter and diversified in style, presenting strong and vivid flavor of the country as well as the age. For instance, the sculptures in the Qin and Han Dynasties are rough and sturdy, the sculptures in the Wei and Jin Dynasties are vigorous and graceful, and the sculptures in Tang and Song Dynasties are rich and elegant... The ancient Chinese sculptures are also full of expressionistic spirit. They are not accustomed to the surface work or the details, but stress on the feeling and artistic conception implied by the imagination-triggering image, which is able to lead people to another artistic world.

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01780/chinese-carving/index.htm
http://www.chinabooks.ch/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1717
http://ein-hod.info/artists/dina/chinese/index.html