Craftsmanship shows Beijing style
An exhibition of the city's eight imperial handicrafts demonstrates rich artisanal tradition, Chen Nan reports.
According to the introduction written by the Beijing Eight Imperial Handicrafts Museum, a wooden base is made and painted, and then decorative techniques, such as inlay, engraving, and color-filling, are used to embellish.
Following the demise of the Qing Dynasty, this technique, which was originally intended for the court, was taken up by ordinary people.
Bai's father, Bai Deyuan (1947-2019), was also a master artisan of the craft, and worked with the Beijing Gold Lacquer Inlaid Company. The company was founded in 1956 and like many preserving the traditional craft, it experienced difficulties with shrinking orders in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2003, Bai Deyuan was president of the Beijing Gold Lacquer Inlaid Company and at his urging, Bai Qun joined the company with the goal of helping to revive the craft.
"These eight traditional techniques exemplify the pinnacle of artistic achievement and cultural expression in traditional Chinese craftsmanship," says Bai Qun.
In 2010, along with a group of artists who are national intangible cultural heritage inheritors, Bai Qun opened the Beijing Eight Imperial Handicrafts Museum, which is located inside the Cheng'en Temple, a site dating to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
