A Legacy Passed Down

Brick carving once enjoyed a golden age, when people said, "A house is incomplete without carving, and carving is what makes it precious." It also suffered a decline so severe that artisans could no longer support themselves. It was later recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Through the story of the Wei family, a small household that passes down and protects its brick-carving art across five generations, this novel reveals the history behind the craft.

Wei Shichuan, the fourth-generation inheritor of the Wei family's brick-carving tradition, was obsessed with having a son. He had five daughters in a row, but he strictly followed the family rules: "Pass it down to sons, not daughters; pass it within the family, not to outsiders." He would rather take the art to his grave than pass it on to his daughters. An unexpected event forced him to teach the nearly lost craft to his youngest daughter. To his surprise, under her stewardship, the Wei family's brick carving not only found a new path but achieved one inheritance miracle after another. Women joined this traditionally male-dominated craft, and it shifted from being led by men to being led by women. It went from being kept within the family to being opened to the public. The artisan's individual heroism and family obligation grew into a responsibility to revitalize the countryside. Through the loves and conflicts of ordinary people, the story reflects the changes of a great era and tells the miraculous story of brick carving's survival. Along the way, Wei Shichuan and his daughter clash over old and new ideas, while a new business model for brick carving both conflicts with and carries on the traditional workshop model.