Side carving

Side carving (simplified Chinese: 边刻; traditional Chinese: 邊刻; pinyin: biānkè) is a form of traditional seal carving techniques that originated in ancient China.

It was later introduced to other countries in East Asia and has gained popularity among contemporary seal artists from regions including Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, etc.

In the late Yuan dynasty such art style became more popular, accompanying the appearance of famous seal artists, such as Wang Mian (王冕).

The art became prosperous first in mid and late Ming dynasty when scholar-artists became dominant in southeast China.

When a pattern of grasses, flowers, birds, or insects (usually "bird-and-flower painting") is engraved, it is called bian xiaopin (Chinese: 邊小品/边小品; literally "side small views" or "side small sketch").