Chinese Handicraft中国手工艺

Handicrafts are productions of the culture. You can find a legend, an ancient story, a life attitude even the social trend in a folk handicraft. At its very beginning, the handicraft industry marked the civilization, then kept evolving in its long history of development. 

    Chinese handicrafts can be taken as one of the best cultural productions created by innovative people. There are countless artisans contributing themselves to this art field. You may think that they are abstract, intricate, or mysterious, but when you get close to some works, you would feel an undercurrent of power flowing in them. The artworks are crystals of Chinese wisdom. In this vast land, various kinds of handicrafts tell people different regional legends, as well as the unique culture only, existed in China.

Besides the world-famous porcelain, lantern, and embroidery, many others are also culturally and practically important. The following is a brief introduction to some of them.  

  Cloisonné①, known as “Jingtai Blue ”in China, is a kind of traditional enamel ware（搪瓷器具）, with a history more than 500 years. It is so-called because “blue” is the typical color used for enamels and “Jingtai” is the title of the Ming Emperor’s reign. Brilliant in color and splendid in design, they enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad. 

  Wood carving（木雕）, one of China’s traditional arts, also has a time-honored history. The earliest existing wood carving unearthed in 1980 in Hubei Province is believed to be made during the Warring States Period about 3,000 years ago. According to historical records, the daily utility, ornament, and furniture made of wood came into being in the state of Qi of the Southern Dynasty. In one of his poems, Tang poet Han Yu described a wood-carving figure vividly. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, some painters began to focus on wood-carving painting. In the Qing Dynasty, wood carving reached a new peak, and there were many artists specialized in wood carving. Today many valuable wood carvings are kept in the Imperial Palace in Beijing and Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai.

For thousands of years, the carving of jade has been an intrinsic part of Chinese culture. The history of jade in China can be dated back to the Shang Dynasty when jade was used as a medium of exchange. Traditionally, Chinese people thought jade is the most precious stone, a sacred material containing the quintessence（精华）of virtue. 

China also has its profound fan culture, which has a close relationship with bamboo culture and Buddhism. It is hard to say the exact time that fans had become popular in Chinese history, but some legend says that it appeared in the period of Yellow Emperor. The fan in Chinese culture is an artwork combined with Chinese calligraphy, paintings or poems rather than a daily tool. 

    Last but not least, the Chinese Knot is a decorative handicraft that began as folk art in Tang and Song dynasties and became popular in Ming and Qing dynasties. It is distinctive for its complicated pattern which is woven separately from one piece of thread. Chinese people have learned how to tie knots with cords since they started to wear fur to keep warm thousands of years ago. 

    

Abridged and revised from

http://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/stonelion.htm

Nates:

① Cloisonné: 景泰蓝，北京市汉族传统手工艺品，因其在明朝景泰年间盛行，制作技艺比较成熟，使用的珐琅釉多以蓝色为主，故而得名“景泰蓝”。