NANJING CITY

There are numerous schools of paper cutting in China, and Nanjing paper cutting belongs to the Jiangnan School. According to historical records, Nanjing paper cutting has been popular in folk circles since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Over the years it gradually developed characteristic artistic features and motifs.
The most significant aspect is the improvisation of the craftsmen, who create on the spur of the moment, following the urgings of their imagination. For this reason, the art is truly a great live performance.

Zhang Fanglin is a representative inheritor of the Nanjing paper cutting tradition – an art that has now been listed as a national-level item of Intangible Cultural Heritage. He is the son of Zhang Jigen, an eminent Jinling paper cutting artisan, and in addition to coming from such a distinguished background, Zhang Fanglin has himself engaged in paper cutting works for almost 50 years, travelling abroad on numerous occasions to attend international expositions and exhibitions and to give instruction. One of the most important figures in the craft of Nanjing paper cutting, Zhang’s works have received high acclaim from people of many different nationalities.

NANJING CITY

QINHUAI LANTERNS
09 / 02 ~ 07 / 03
2010

As the saying goes: “Of all the lantern shows, Qinhuai’s is the best.” In fact, the Qinhuai Lantern School is one of the most significant within the traditional Chinese lantern arts. The Qinhuai lantern, displayed between Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, is innately artistic, incorporating such techniques as braiding, binding, painting, calligraphy, paper cutting, shadow puppetry, embroidery and sculpture. In recent years, lantern artisans have integrated elements such as shape, colour, light, sound and motion into lantern making, adding charm to this long cherished folk art.

Gu Yeguang is a representative inheritor of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Jiangsu Province. Born into a Nanjing family that has practised lantern making for six generations, Gu developed a great interest in the art from an early age. He has given live performances in Germany, Singapore and Hong Kong on behalf of Nanjing. In 2009, he participated in the Exhibition of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage & Traditional Folk Crafts.

LIANYUNGANG CITY

COPPER FORGING
09 / 03 ~ 04 / 04
2010

Copperware items were the earliest metal implements to be used widely in China, and the prevalence of their use soon gave rise to the art of forging copper. In recent years, copper forging has developed from the making of simple utensils for daily use into the fabrication of a wide range of artistic products, including relief panels, free-standing sculptures, architectural decorations and delicate handicrafts. It is widely appreciated for its special metallic texture, plain and simple styling and rich variety in colour.

Zhou Chengyu, a senior artisan who inherited the traditional craftsmanship of copper forging, has been awarded the title ‘Artisan of Chinese Folk Arts’ by UNESCO and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. His works have received a number of national-level and provincial-level folk arts prizes. In 2005, he represented Beijing in an exhibition organised by art circles in celebration of the 8th anniversary of the Hong Kong Handover.

LIANYUNGANG CITY

CRYSTAL CARVING
09 / 03 ~ 04 / 04
2010

Crystal carving is a novel art within the traditional crystal crafts. Its practitioners carve exquisite pictures – depicting animals, flowers or birds – on natural crystal, using its original shape for inspiration. They then affix it to another piece of composite crystal to generate aesthetic, three-dimensional effects. The process of creating these artworks is protected by patent in China.

Feng Shougan, the pioneer of crystal carving and a Jiangsu artisan, was honoured with the title ‘Artisan of Chinese Folk Arts’ by UNESCO and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. He has devoted much of his time to the design and creation of traditional crystal carvings.

NANTONG CITY

BLUE CALICO
06 / 04 ~ 02 / 05
2010

Blue calico is a handicraft in which handmade, pure cotton fabrics are dyed with extracts from Chinese indigo (dyer’s knotweed). Nantong blue calico integrates motifs used in folk arts such as embroidery and paper cutting, creating a rich variety of artistic shapes in blue and white colours. Overall, Chinese blue calico adheres to a very high standard, with a rich variety of prints and outstanding craftsmanship. For this reason it was inscribed on the first list of national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Chinese artisan Wu Yuanxin lectures Masters students at Suzhou University and is Curator of the Nantong Blue Calico Museum. Since the age of 17, Wu has engaged in dying, printing and block-printing blue calico. Over the past three decades, he has striven to preserve and pass down the art of blue calico. He was recognised as an outstanding inheritor of Chinese folk arts by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. Among his publications is the work An Overall Collection of China Blue Calico Vein Patterns.

NANTONG CITY

BANYAO KITES
06 / 04 ~ 02 / 05
2010

The Banyao Kite of Nantong City is acclaimed for its exquisite shape, skilful workmanship and the unique sonic effects it produces. Named for its characteristic flat shape, the Banyao Kite is renowned as a ‘Symphony in the Air’ because of the numerous whistles that emanate from the attached gourds and shells, designed to produce loud, clear tones when the kite is flown. Banyao Kites are mostly hexagonal, bright in colour and larger in size than ordinary kites. The art form has been inscribed on the national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Guo Chengyi, an artisan from Jiangsu, is a representative inheritor of the national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Project. He has engaged in kite-making for some 40 years under the guidance of his father, Guo Wenhe, himself a famous craftsman in the art. Apart from making whistling kites, Guo Chengyi dedicates himself to designing kites with innovative shapes and remains the major inheritor of ‘Guo’s Kites of Nantong’. He currently works at the Nantong Kite Museum, engaging in kitemaking and related research projects.

ZHENJIANG CITY

PORCELAIN CARVING
01 / 06 ~ 27 / 06
2010

The prevalence in China of porcelain carving dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796) in the Qing Dynasty. The term refers to the craft of carving the surface of porcelain with specially designed, heated cutting tools. Carvings of mountains, water, flowers and birds are all vividly expressed by the art’s practitioners. As porcelain carving integrates complex skills, unique features and a blend of arts such as stone inscription, calligraphy and painting, it is attached high aesthetic and collectible value.

Applying his profound knowledge and his deft calligraphy and painting techniques to porcelain carving, Shao Tongyi is able to produce exquisite images, using cutting tools in the place of brushes. His skills earned him the honour of being named an ‘Artisan of Chinese Folk Arts’ by UNESCO and the Chinese Folk
Literature and Art Association. His works have received a number of national-level and provincial-level folk arts prizes. In 2006, he was invited to conduct exchanges in Germany and was hailed as the first person to introduce the art of Oriental porcelain carving to Europe

LIANYUNGANG CITY

FEIBAI CALLIGRAPHY
01/ 06 ~ 27 / 06
2010

Feibai calligraphy, also known as Feibo, is a special style of ancient script that originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) and was prevalent through the Wei, Jin, Tang and Song dynasties (220-1279). Featuring vigourous and graceful strokes, this script is rich in artistic imagery and projects strong visual impact. After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty (1127), however, Feibai calligraphy experienced a gradual decline through the ensuing Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911), and today very few people can master it.

Ge Shaolin (aka Qilinzi) is a representative inheritor of the Feibai calligraphy tradition, an art listed as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Lianyungang City. Over the last three decades, Ge has devoted himself to research and the promotion of Feibai calligraphy. He held a solo exhibition in 2008, and his works have received a number of awards in various significant calligraphy competitions.

SUQIAN CITY

PYROGRAPHY
29 / 06 ~ 25 / 07
2010

Pyrography is the art of painting with burn marks created by the controlled application of heated objects. It dates back to the craft of pokerwork, known as luohua or tanghua, in which the marks were created with traditional soldering irons heated in furnaces. Later, with the invention of electric soldering irons, the practice of traditional pokerwork developed into a sophisticated decorative art for materials such as wood boards, Xuan paper and silk fabrics. Pyrographic works feature dark brown images that are simple, elegant, beautiful and unique in style.

Renowned as ‘China’s most outstanding pyrographic artist’, Tang Zheng is now a director of the China Calligrapher and Painter Association and is ranked as a National First-class Artist. A graduate of the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy University, Tang has absorbed influences from a great number of masters and has developed his own unique style of pyrography, now under patent protection in China. His works have been collected by the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and the Japan National Institute of Arts, among other institutions.

SUQIAN CITY

STONE CARVING
29 / 06 ~ 25 / 07
2010

The images, carved onto stones, are as vivid and delicate as photographs. Beginning by honing and polishing a stone, often of pure colour, the artisans then outline the image that is to be carved onto the polished surface. Using special tools, they create lifelike carvings based on the principle of chiaroscuro. Stone image carving is noted for its fine lines and detail and is widely used for murals, stele portraits and desk ornaments.

A descendant of stone carving artisans, Lu Yuchen has inherited traditional stone carving skills from former generations and has created his own innovative style. His works feature an integration of photography, painting and stone carving in addition to various other carving techniques with abundant themes. He has created a diverse array of artworks including both plain and three-dimensional stone carvings. In 2005, he held a solo art exhibition in Singapore which gained him wide popularity.

YANCHENG CITY

WHEAT STRAW COLLAGE
27 / 07 ~ 22 / 08
2010

Originating from the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 AD), wheat straw collage flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and continued through the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). In this folk art – one that is unique to China – wheat straws enriched with natural lustre, lines and textures are pieced together to generate images with vivid three-dimensional effects. The images are durable and bright in colour. The craft can be applied to plaques, screens and tourist souvenirs or inlaid in wooden furniture for decorative purposes.

Shen Sheguo, recognised as an ‘Artisan of Chinese Folk Arts’ by UNESCO and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, has made great accomplishments in some 20 years of assiduous research in the field. In September 2007, he held a solo painting exhibition in Mons, France, and was granted a Medal of Honour by the French Republic. His exhibited works – many of which now reside in national collections – have received awards in various provinces, cities and countries.

YANCHENG CITY

DOUGH FIGURINE SCULPTURE
27 / 07 ~ 22 / 08
2010

The history of dough figurine sculpture can be traced to the imperial cuisine of the Tang Dynasty (618–907). In the past, it was an art mastered by a very few people who made their living as craftsmen. By rubbing, kneading, pulling and moulding a mixture of glutinous rice flour, wheat flour and preservatives, artisans can immediately create fascinating dough figurine sculptures resembling characters or animals.

Guo Liming is a native of Gongxing Town in Yancheng City. He has engaged in the handicraft of dough figurine sculpture for nearly three decades and has attained a very high level of skill. Under his influence and with his promotion, the traditional craft of dough figurine sculpture has gained wide popularity in his hometown, heralded as one of the ‘top ten cultural towns in Yancheng City’. Guo has been designated a provincial, municipal and county representative in attendance at various exhibitions, expositions and fairs both at home and abroad, where his skills earned him great respect within artistic circles.