Han Zhiyao, a modern carving artist from Dalian of Northeast China's Liaoning Province who has a special interest for calligraphy and painting, began learning carving boats at the age of eight. Over time, he perfected his skills and has created some high-quality ship nut carvings.

To carve a boat on a walnut, the greatest difficulty comes from the walnut's texture.

"By looking at the grains on the surface of a walnut, a seasoned carving artist can basi cally tell whether the piece can be used for carving, " noted Han. "Besides the bumps and hollows on the rough surface, there are more unexpected, anomalous (irregular), and hidden holes inside, which brings even more difficulty for carving." 

In order to avoid the hidden holes, the artist has to be very familiar with the texture and grains of the fruit stones.

The hardest thing about nut carving is that each piece of the raw material is different in texture, density, rigidity, and flexibility. In carving the artwork, the artist should first have a basic blueprint in his mind according to the grains on the surface, and then make adjustments when meeting any hidden holes. The whole carving process constantly requires reconsideration and creation, and there is no established pattern to follow.