Ancient craft blooms again

Velvet flowers attract a new generation of admirers, Li Yingxue reports.

A puzzle was presented by a miniature mountainous landscape with velvet flowers, birds and rabbits in a recent episode of CCTV's Chinese Poetry Conference, a show that gathered enthusiasts of ancient poems.

The scene brought to life Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Wang Wei's composition that describes a leisurely and comfortable night in a peaceful valley with flowers falling quietly.

The delicate velvet flowers are made by Cai Zhiwei, 52, the sixth-generation inheritor of velvet bird and flower making, a Beijing intangible cultural heritage.

Having devoted himself to the skill for two decades, Cai is inheriting, innovating and promoting velvet flowers in his own way.