图为黄杨木雕《上海小刀会起义》

（摄于上海龙华烈士纪念馆）

上海小刀会起义，这一重要的历史事件，一直为我国一些革命历史纪念馆所关注和展示。这在龙华烈士纪念馆的《丹心碧血为人民——上海革命烈士革命先驱英雄业绩展览》中也不例外。馆内的陈列对“上海小刀会起义”给予了重点关注，不仅设计制作了采用三维投影成像的反映“上海小刀会北门之战”的高科技场景演示，还约请工艺美术大师雕刻制作了国内罕见的巨型黄杨木雕《上海小刀会起义》。

The uprising of the Shanghai Small Sword Society is an important historical event on display in many revolutionary memorial halls in China, including the Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall, where the event is a highlight of the “Loyalty for the People - Exhibition of the Heroic Achievements by Revolutionary Pioneers in Shanghai”. 

The museum creates a high-tech, three-dimensional scene at the exhibition to reproduce the battlefield at the North Gate of the Shanghai Small Swords Society. Besides, it invited master artists to produce Uprising of the Shanghai Small Sword Society, a large boxwood carving whose size and intricacy are rarely seen in China. 

巨型黄杨木雕《上海小刀会起义》取材于19世纪50年代上海人民的一场轰轰烈烈的反帝反封建斗争史实。雕刻作品由“嘉定举义”、“上海起义”、“北门之战”、“英勇突围”等四个既相对独立又互相连贯的场景所组成。采用我国传统黄杨木雕工艺，结合艺用人体解剖与中西绘画透视原理，推陈出新，成功地将“小刀会起义”这一近代上海人民的英雄史实形象生动地再现出来。作品中278名人物（最大的人物高35公分，最小的人物高2.5公分）和广阔的上海古城景物被雕刻得清晰可辨，历历在目。刘丽川、周立春、周秀英、陈阿大等起义领袖人物更是刻画得英勇高大，气宇轩昂。作品颂扬了小刀会将士的正义行为和不畏强暴、英勇牺牲的精神。雕刻作品主题新颖，构思严谨，布局协调，场面壮阔，刀法洗练。作品采用了圆雕、高浮雕、浅浮雕等各种雕刻表现形式，用穿插、重叠的方法将26块圆雕、一百多块浮雕拼接为色彩调和、浑然一体的巨型黄杨木雕。整个巨型黄杨木雕造型耗材用了2吨多优质黄杨木料。作品长2.44米，高0.85米，厚0.6米，底部还配上了优质红木底座，显得气势非凡。这件由浙江乐清市王笃纯、张笃才，郑胜宁、叶定枢等集体雕刻创作成功的巨型雕刻作品是目前我国国内最大的黄杨木雕作品之一，它在我国黄杨木雕史上具有重要的历史地位。

The boxwood carving is based on historical events during Shanghai’s blooming anti-imperialist and anti-feudal movement in the 1850s. The woodwork demonstrates four independent and interconnected scenes: “Jiading Uprising”, “Shanghai Uprising”, “Battle at the North Gate,” and “Heroic Breakout”.

Employing traditional Chinese boxwood carving techniques, knowledge of human anatomy, and the perspective principle of Chinese and Western paintings, the artists successfully created this inspiring artwork using the traditional art form and powerfully depicted the key historical events in modern Shanghai. The 278 figures (the largest being 35 centimeters in height and the shortest 2.5 centimeters) and the expansive city scene of ancient Shanghai are vividly carved. Among them, Liu Lichuan, Zhou Lichun, Zhou Xiuying, Chen Ada, and other leading members stand out with gallant bravery. The carving extols the undaunted courage and righteous acts of the society members in the face of brutal suppression and honors their noble sacrifice. 

The work boasts a novel theme, careful design, coordinated layout, grand scenes, and delicate craftsmanship. The artists adopted various carving techniques, including three-dimensional sculpture carving techniques, as well as high and shallow relief carving skills. The 26 round sculptures and over 100 carved pieces are eventually assembled or bonded to form a large, integrated whole with nicely designed color tones and shadows.

2.44 meters in width, 0.85 meters in height, and 0.6 meters in depth, the huge boxwood carving costs more than 2 tons of high-quality boxwood. At the bottom of the artwork is a fine mahogany base, highlighting its imposing magnificence. This impressive carving work, created in Yueqing City of Zhejiang Province by Wang Duchun, Zhang Ducai, Zheng Shengning, and Ye Dingshu, among other artists, is one of the largest boxwood carving works in China and is of great importance in the history of China’s boxwood carving.