Practitioner shows expertise in wood carving

(ECNS) -- A young woman making wood carvings in Chaozhou, south China's Guangdong Province, has attracted many tourists with her lifelike works.

She is Chen Jia, a practitioner of local wood carving.

There is a variety of exquisite wood carvings in her studio.

A palm-sized "lobster crab basket" looks very delicate.

Over 30 gravers of different lengths are needed to complete a wood-carving work, according to Chen.

Chalks and pencils are also necessary for making marks.

A large-sized artwork often takes as long as several months or even years to complete.

However, craftswomen making wood carvings are becoming gradually fewer because of the hard training.

To attract more learners, Chen made much innovation in wood carving themes and shapes, which were reflected in the ornament works.

Chen has been nurtured by a family of artists, with her grandfather and father both being senior craft artists.

Her carving career started at the age of 14.

After pressing the carving tool for so long, Chen's right ring finger is slightly deformed.

Although injuring her hands is not unusual while carving, her sense of achievement after completing a work is a source of strong determination.

Chen has created many decorative and innovative ornaments to attract more youngsters.

However, throughout her years of practice, she has made carving a lifelong career and determined to pass on the traditional technique.