War of war, Chinese chess

The Best“War”

Someone once said, “There is no bad peace and yet there is no good war”. The only good war in this world is unfolded on the chessboard.

“Xiang Qi – Chinese Chess” made its first appearance during the Warring States period. It wasn’t until Song Dynasty were the basic rules of the game established. The common writing, “Chu He Han Jie- meaning the border between two states, in the middle of the chess board was created much later during the period of 1920s and 1930s. The artist set the historic scene of this chess set in Song and Jin Dynasties instead of Chu and Han states. Therefore, “Chu He Han Jie was replaced by “Feng Huo Da Zhan – the battlefield of the great war”. It’s hoped that it can assist the consistency with his original concept. Mr. Chen Cheng-Hsiung picked up carving when he was only 14 years old. Since then, he’s been dedicated to carving for six decades now. Mr. Chen is still creative and productive in his 70s. He’s been granted “Wu San Lien Art Award” and major awards from Japan. His artworks have been widely acquired by both public and private museums as well as art collectors. He’s indeed a unique carving master.

In 1988, Mr. Gao Xinjiang, the chief editor of the supplement section of China Times, urged Mr. Chen to transform the landscape of the chess game by carving out the chess pieces. Hence, the once Chinese characters are replaced with figures. The ultimate goal is to allow foreigners who don’t comprehend Chinese to be able to appreciate and learn Chinese chess. Back then, Mr. Chen Cheng-Hsiung was 46 years old, the prime time of his creative life. He exerted himself to generate life into each chess piece from scratch, studying the historic background, the clothing, the characters, the expression and the temperament. Adopting the carving method of “Yi Dao Diao”, Mr. Chen carved out the chess pieces – generals and soldiers, with simple yet profound strokes, which completely captures the essence of their roles. Just watching the pieces, one can almost feel the tension and hear the roar of the battlefield. If you examine each piece closely, you’ll immediately find yourself moved by the genuine expressions, such as the confident and dignified generals from both Song and Jin sides, the devoted and astute prime ministers, the loyal officers, the ferocious chariots, the powerful canons and the brave soldiers. All have been vividly depicted.

This chess set with carved figures is indeed extraordinary, a remarkable art piece. Being a rigorous art professional, Mr. Chen never ceases to contemplate and observe before initiating the first cut of each project. Everything has to be right to advance to the next level. It generally takes 3 to 5 years to complete an artwork. This chess set is consisted of 32 pieces, which qualifies as his most representative work among all his creation. Each carved figure gives rise to immense delight and deserves to be relished more than once. There’s more to it than meets the eyes. This highly exquisite set is considered the superb artwork among all the others created during the past six decades. It is the best heirloom one can pass down to the next generation.