Hainan Folk Handicrafts

Hainan coconut carvings enjoy a long history. As early as the Tang Dynasty, people began to create wine cups using coconut shells. During the late Tang Dynasty, Lu Guimeng, a poet, wrote a famous poem concerning the coconut wine cup. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hainan Province sent yearly tributes of coconut carvings to Beijing.

Hainan coconut carvings create craftwork from coconut shells by carving craftsmen in Hainan Island. The coconut carvings are of different patterns, are simple and elegant in color, and have a specific artistic style. As early as the end the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, coconut carving craftwork reached a high standard. In the following 300 years, craftsmen gradually developed the craftsmanship into perfection after their continuous hard work, and they finally formed their own specific style.