 Wu Shuigen
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SILVER ORNAMENTS OF MIAO ETHNIC GROUP
03 / 03 ~ 01 / 04
2012
With their superb beauty, variety and diversity, the decorative
Silver Ornaments of the Miao Ethnic Group are unique among the
ethnic minorities inhabiting the various regions of China. The Miao
Silver Ornaments produced in Taijiang are particularly outstanding,
embracing vivid folk and regional characteristics. These ornaments
take full advantage of the perfect ductility and malleability of
silver, drawing on the important silversmithing skills of making
silver sheets, drawing wires, hammering and welding to produce
varied ornaments. These ornaments are inscribed on the National
Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Wu Shuigen began producing silver ornaments at an
early age, and he is a representative heir of Provincial Intangible
Cultural Heritage. He has absorbed the essence of traditional silver
processing techniques and consistently innovates to produce
highly distinct silver ornaments that are at once simple, precious
and ingenious. His works are favoured by the public and collectors.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 03 / 03 ~ 11 / 03 |
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 Liu Zhongchang
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EMBROIDERY OF MIAO ETHNIC GROUP
03 / 03 ~ 01 / 04
2012
The embroidery of the Miao ethnic group has a tremendously
rich folk style with superb stitching, elegant refinement, beautiful
composition, vivid themes and a diversity of colours. The
production techniques are very distinctive, including twin-needle
lock embroidery, crepe, braid and thread-sticking embroidery. The
embroidery is now on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Beginning in the late 1980s, Liu Zhongchang opened a
number of boutiques in Kunming, Dali and Lijiang, selling the
clothing of the Miao ethnic group. Aiming to both inherit and
develop the clothing culture of this ethnic minority, she promotes
the traditional apparel both at home and abroad, displaying its
most distinctive features. Her works have won numerous awards.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 03 / 03 ~ 11 / 03 |
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 Mo Yanxue
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LUSHENG REED MOUTH-ORGAN
04 / 04 ~ 06 / 05
2012
The lusheng is a musical instrument that is an integral
part of the Miao ethic group’s social life and entertainment
culture. Lusheng music is heard in all major festivals and at
many gatherings. There are numerous types of lusheng, varying
in timbre and size. The skills involved in building the mouthorgan
are normally passed down from masters, generation to
generation. The lusheng is inscribed on the National Intangible
Cultural Heritage List.
A lusheng builder for four decades, Mo Yanxue has
accumulated vast experience. In recent years, he developed a
small, gift-sized lusheng measuring 20 cm in length, which has
received very wide acclaim. Since 2002, Mo has been the recipient
of numerous awards and was named ‘One of the Ten Artisans of
Guizhou Province’ and a ‘Senior Folk Craftsman of Guizhou Province’.
His works are collected by the Guizhou Federation of Literature and
Arts as one of the Province’s ‘Ten Refined Folk Arts’.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 04 / 04 ~ 15 / 04 |
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 Wang Dengshu
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HUANGPING CLAY WHISTLES
04 / 04 ~ 06 / 05
2012
The Huangping clay whistle is a toy developed from the
traditional clay figurines of the Miao ethnic group. There are
air holes on the underside of the whistle, allowing players to
produce clear sounds. Beloved by children, there are over 400
varieties. The smoke from the wood-burning firing process gives
them a natural black colouring, which is decoratively painted in
red, yellow, blue, white, green and purple patterns. This sculptural
musical toy instrument is featured on the National Intangible
Cultural Heritage List.
A representative heir of Provincial Intangible Cultural
Heritage, Wang Dengshu mastered this form of art from senior
artisan and creator of the Huangping clay whistle Wu Guoqing. He
then gradually optimised the production of Miao clay whistles and
developed his own unique style by conducting in-depth research
into traditional Miao figurine shapes and patterns. As a result, there
is now a greater variety of whistles.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 04 / 04 ~ 15 / 04 |
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 Song Shuixian
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HORSEHAIR EMBROIDERY
30/ 06 ~ 31 / 07
2012
The horsehair embroidery of the Shui ethnic group is a
traditional folk handicraft passed down from generation to
generation. Traditionally, the skills are orally inherited by the
women in the family, leaving no written records. The works have
an embossed texture and colourful appearance when viewed
from a distance, earning the craft the moniker ‘living fossil of
embroidery’. This art form is now inscribed on the National
Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
A representative heir of Provincial Intangible Cultural
Heritage, Song Shuixian is a senior artisan, whose horsehair
embroidery is superb and well-respected. Her magnificent skill at
entwining threads of horsetail hair of uniform thickness enables
her to embroider clear and appealing patterns, and her use of
vivid colours creates delicate, elegant and luxurious works. Song
promotes and collects horsehair embroidery and has produced
over 3,000 works.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 30 / 06 ~ 08 / 07 |
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 Yang Fang
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DANZHAI BATIK
30/ 06 ~ 31 / 07
2012
There are two types of Danzhai batik created by the Miao
ethnic group: the ‘dot’ and the ‘paint’ batik. Dot batik uses lines of
round dots arranged in decorative patterns. Paint batik constructs
patterns of lines and patches. Generally, the patterns fall into two
main categories: relatively abstract ‘geometric patterns’ and ‘natural
patterns’ featuring flowers, birds, fish and insects.
An heir and senior Danzhai batik artisan, Yang Fang produces
batiks of sheer beauty that fully embrace the Miao ethnic group’s
cultural background and history. She founded a professional batik
co-operative to cultivate numerous inheritors of the art form and to
develop new products for sale both at home and abroad.
*CRAFT DEMONSTRATIONS 30 / 06 ~ 08 / 07 |
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