Chaoshan and Lingnan: Jianci and Huaisu

A paifang from the Lingnan region. The main decorative crafts are qianci (inlaid porcelain) and huissu (lime plaster sculpture): qianci involves cutting glazed porcelain shards into small shapes and inlaying them to form figures and birds and flowers, with colors more vibrant and details denser than the jiannian (cut-and-paste porcelain mosaic) of Southern Fujian; huissu involves sculpting three-dimensional reliefs on-site using lime mixed materials, primarily used on the lintels and wall tops, with softer colors. The eaves have a shallow overhang, emphasizing drainage due to heavy rainfall. Columns often feature a combination of stone and wood. The overall color scheme is extremely rich, with green, blue, red, yellow, and white appearing simultaneously, resulting in the highest visual density among all regions. The stone carvings exhibit delicate craftsmanship. Avoid: using a single color scheme and low saturation, sparse decorative density, using northern Qinglu (green and blue) paintings, and deep, far-reaching eaves.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一座嶺南地區的牌樓。裝飾工藝以嵌瓷與灰塑為主:嵌瓷是把上釉的瓷片剪成細小的形狀後鑲嵌成人物與花鳥,顏色比閩南的剪黏更為鮮豔多彩,細節更密;灰塑則是以石灰混合材料在現場塑出立體的浮雕,主要用在額枋與牆頭,顏色較為柔和。屋簷的出挑較淺,因為多雨而重視排水。柱身常見石材與木材的組合。整體的配色極為豐富,綠、藍、紅、黃、白同時出現,視覺密度是所有地域中最高的。石雕的部分刀工細膩。避免:使用單一色系與低彩度、把裝飾密度做得稀疏、使用北方的青綠彩畫、把屋簷做得深遠出挑。