HUAI’AN

The art of eggshell carving began in China during the Ming- Qing period (1368-1911). Its origins stem from the giving of festive red eggs, a tradition that later developed into the craft of more artistic eggshell painting. Increasingly elaborate eggshell designs followed, as artists drained the eggs and used knives to carve delicate works of art into the shell’s surface. The beauty of eggshell carvings lies in the fragility of the shell, a medium that demands immense patience and confidence from the artist.

Wu Xiaoqi comes from a family with a long history of egg carving masters. Under her father’s careful guidance, Wu learned to produce works that combine both traditional Chinese painting and seal cutting. She has developed her own artistic style characterised by highly varied knife-work and unique composition.

HUAI’AN

STRAW WEAVING
24 / 08 ~ 19 / 09
2010

Straw weaving is true handicraft, renowned throughout the world. Artists cleverly weave both fresh and dried grass into lifelike images of animals like praying mantises, butterflies, frogs and roosters in a beautiful array of yellow and green colours.

Qiu Weiping was taught straw weaving as a child by her maternal grandmother. Her raw materials include the leaf stalks of black bamboo and other vegetation. In her later life, Qiu incorporated straw weaving traditions from other regions. Her artistry has advanced to perfection, winning numerous provincial and municipal awards.

WUXI

ZISHA POTTERY
21 / 09 ~ 17 / 10
2010

The city of Yixing’s zisha pottery tradition yields unglazed items with a natural purple colouring. The high-degree of plasticity and unique character of the raw material, as well as its ability to maintain its form, makes Yixing pottery cherished throughout the world. Zisha tea ware retains the colour, fragrance and taste of the tea it holds and has both artistic and practical value.

Xu Yue was born into a family of pottery craftsmen in the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province. Clear lines and clean seams are hallmarks of his work, and his teapots and tea sets are smooth and fluid in form. In 2006, he was awarded the title “Outstanding Inheritor of Yixing Zisha Pottery”. His works have won several awards at national exhibitions.

NANJING

CHINESE OPERA MASK PAINTING
21 / 09 ~ 17 / 10
2010

The art of Chinese opera mask painting is synonymous with Chinese opera and is considered both an artisanal and a theatrical art. Using modern elements and techniques such as realism, distortion and exaggeration, along with various media including fans, gourds and dishes, modern Chinese mask design has invigorated the traditional art form.

Yan Lei learned the Beijing opera mask painting art as a child from his father. With a strong background in traditional Chinese art, he specialises in integrating elements of Western painting into his works and has devoted his energy to creating a series of distorted masks. He is currently a Successor of Nanjing Intangible Cultural Heritage and a National Crafts Artist. His works have been warmly received at many overseas exhibitions.

TAIZHOU

Dough figurine sculptures
19 / 10 ~ 14 / 11
2010

Dough figurine sculptures were originally used to beautify the appearance of food. They consist of glutinous rice flour, wheat flour and preservatives. Artists can quickly mould lifelike figurines representing humans or animals by manipulating the dough with their hands and making small markings with a knife. The attention to detail required to craft these figurines entails an exquisite skill.

Following his father’s footsteps in the study of art, Wang Hongxiang obtained a strong foundation in painting and sculpture. Combining form and spirit, his dough figurine sculptures depict legendary characters from classical literature, as well as war heroes and characters from Chinese opera. Each year he participates in several exhibitions, locally and outside his province. He has been dubbed the “King of Flour Figurines”. He is a designated representative for folk artists in the Taizhou region.

TAIZHOU

LEAF CARVING
19/ 10 ~ 14 / 11
2010

The art of leaf carving combines such varied Chinese traditional arts as traditional painting and seal cutting. Leaf carvers prepare naturally fallen leaves by trimming, soaking and carving them, in the end bestowing on the leaf a delicate pattern or image. Leaf carvings are as thin as paper and natural in colour. The unique vein structure found on the leaves is a symbol of life that becomes forever locked within the work of art.

Huang Taisheng is dedicated to the research and creation of leaf carvings. In 1994, his first work was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. He has also been awarded the title of Folk Crafts Artist by UNESCO. His art covers a wide range of subjects, among them historical figures, animals, landscapes and the handwriting of famous people. Over 100 national and regional museums display his work.

SUZHOU

SUZHOU EMBROIDERY
16 / 11 ~ 12 / 12
2010

One of China’s most famous embroidery arts is that of Suzhou, which is also regarded as the most remarkable craft hailing from that particular region. Since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a succession of schools and masters of Suzhou embroidery have codified a complete and systematic approach to the art and its underlying theory. The embroidered silk contains pictures “painted” with needle and thread, possessing the rich poignancy of ink. Suzhou embroidery is steeped in the qualities of traditional painting and calligraphy and is imbued with strong local flavour.

Born into a family of embroiderers, Yao Huifen has diligently studied the craft for many years. She is currently a provinciallevel representative successor of substantial cultural heritage. Her embroidery works have won many notable municipal, provincial and national craft awards. She is an expert in Chinese traditional ink painting, western oil painting and character portraiture. Her embroidery shows unerring skill.

SUZHOU

TAOHUAWU NEW YEAR’S PRINTS
16/ 11 ~ 12 / 12
2010

Suzhou’s Taohuawu New Year’s prints, together with Tianjin’s Yangliuqing New Year’s prints, are known as “Southern Tao and Northern Liu”. The New Year’s woodblock print tradition developed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Suzhou’s Qili Shantang Street and Taohuawu Street had dozens of print shops with a combined annual output of several million works. For this reason, works from Suzhou were given the name “Taohuawu”. Dense composition and bright colours characterise these woodblock prints. In 2006, they were included on the national-level cultural heritage list.

Qiao Lanrong is currently Deputy Director of the New Year’s Painting Workshop of the Taohuawu New Year’s Woodblock Print Museum, as well as a designated successor of the art of Taohuawu New Year’s woodblock prints. She devotes her energy to creating Taohuawu prints and has formed her own unique style over the years. In 2007 her work Immortal Ma Gu Offering Long Life won a gold medal at the First National New Year’s Woodblock Print Exhibition.