Huang Tiesheng carves a seal. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

This spring, 81-year-old seal carving master Huang Tiesheng, a native of Nantong, has already carved dozens of seals that capture the essence of the season.

"As the Spring Equinox approaches, I have finally completed my seal carvings of the 24 solar terms," said the carving expert on March 12. Huang, a retired worker from a packaging and decoration factory, laid the seeds for his seal carving future in the mid-1960s, when the factory started producing corrugated paper boxes. He made the boxes into molds using various tools.

Huang's bedroom serves as his studio, with a bed on the left side of the room and seal carving tools and ink stones on a small table on the right side. "I carve seals for about two hours every day, and I have created over 700 works in the past five years," he said.

Huang Tiesheng shows off his works. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Huang has recently created dozens of seals that depict spring in the city. These works include both red and white characters, representing the two different forms of seal carving, with the main difference lying in whether the characters are raised or engraved.

Seal carving can be traced back to the earliest known records of writing and shares many similarities with calligraphy and painting. "In my free time, I enjoy reciting poems, which greatly benefits my seal carving creations," Huang explained. In recent years, he has carved over 100 seals of old place names, documenting the city's developmental changes over time.

"Nantong has three pagodas, one with four corners, one with six, and one with eight. Two pagodas rise from level ground, while one pierces the clouds." This folk rhyme is well-known among many Nantong residents. "I have created seal carvings of the three pagodas," said Huang. Each of these pagodas has its own unique history and cultural significance, serving as historical and cultural landmarks of Nantong.