A research center for shell carving was established recently in Pingtan to better inherit and promote the traditional craft.

As a treasure of Pingtan's arts and crafts, shell carving, however, has gone through a checkered history as younger generations are showing less interest in it.

"We carried out a market survey and found that shell carving is less interesting to the post-80s and post-90s generation, who are a new force in the consumer market," said Lin Ping, an investigator with the center.

Reassembling experienced craftsmen remains a difficult mission. If changes and new features fail to blend in, the revitalization of the craft could prove much tougher, said insiders.

The center has thus recruited many young shell-carving designers to influence younger generations.

Traditional shell carving mainly uses black or red as the background color and favors symmetric shapes such as ovals and circles. This delights the elderly but doesn't interest the youngsters. It isn't compatible with European-style decorations either.

"Now we are trying colors such as white, purple and blue, which are more fashionable," said Zhao Shuhe, member of the center's research team.

"In terms of shapes, we are adopting more irregular shapes and using wave-like bases for the shell sculpture. We also include Chinese calligraphy on the back of the shells and add cartoon logos on the front side," he added.

The research center is also holding a free exhibition of shell carvings at Pingtan's cultural and sports center.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai