The folk art fair, themed as “Flourishing Folk Art, Developing Jilin’s Economy”, hosted a series of activities including art sales, folk art photography shows and painting and calligraphy exhibitions.

The fair was of larger scale than in previous years, with 1,500 sale booths and 500 display booths. Artists and producers from various provinces and Hong Kong brought their best folk art works to display, including chinaware, stone carvings, jewelry, clay sculptures, jade carvings, sheep skin paintings, knife paintings, Chinese stationary and swords.

It has always been the pursuit of the fair to demonstrate the excellence of local artists and boost the culture industry of Changchun. Chuangchun’s eight finest folk art works -- Zushu Micro Sculpture, Yuping Dolls, Ziyu Mulan Embroidered Shoes, Baofeng Paper-cut, Hongmei Cloth-pasted Painting, Jiaqi Bird, Dongsheng Clay Figurine and Guchen Woodcraft -- were shown during this time. They are the.

Baofeng Paper-cut

Baofeng Paper-cut not only reflects the essence of traditional paper-cutting, but also integrates elements of other artistic forms. Ms Li Baofeng, a former primary school teacher, has designed more than 100 series of paper-cuts. Her works, exquisite and particular, focus on the culture of Northeast China and are a hot item with private collectors.

Ziping Dolls

Jilin Yuping Handcraft Product Co.,Ltd is a well-known handcraft producer in Jilin Province which opened for business in 1994.. Yuping Dolls were used in witchcraft to start, but gradually become appreciated by art collectors as well. The hand-made dolls have porcelain faces and silk bodies.

Mr. Feng Yuping’s Qiong Lou Qing Yun, a doll collection based on the Story of the Stone (one of the four classic literature works in China), brings a lot of attraction to the fair.

Ziyu Mulan Embroidered Shoes

Ziyu Mulan Embroidered Shoes have long been a famous local folk art brand. They have earned a large domestic and international market. Around 200 series and 300 patterns of embroidered shoes are welcomed both at home and abroad.

Ziyu Mulan won the Shan Hua Reward for “Excellent Folk Art” at the Fifth China Folk Art Fair. It is also listed among the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Liaoning Province. The “Qian Nian Gu Yun” (history) series contains traditional elements; the “Shen Sui Min Jian” (folk) series depicts folk stories; the “Shen Mi Chang Bai” (Changbai Mountain) series is based on legends of the mountain.

Jiaqi Birds

Little birds and insects made of herb leaves and feathers are hot among US and European customers. Though the colorful birds cost only a few cents, they are quite trendy. The innovative spirits have enabled producers to take up quite a large share of the handcraft market.

Dongsheng Clay Figurine

Compared to the Clay Figure Zhang of Tianjin, Dongsheng Clay Figurines take on a more realistic approach. Many think figurine-making is about “hands”, but Zhong Dongsheng believes it is about “mind”.

The Dongsheng clay figures mostly describe peoples’ lives in the coldest part of China, the Northeast. Snow and ice make up a significant part of the lifestyle of Northeastern people. What make the figures close to the customers’ hearts are the customs, festivals, and culture told by the Dongsheng clay figures.

Guchen Woodcraft

Guchen Woodcraft Co., Ltd is the only company in Jilin Province that designs, produces and sells antique furniture and woodcrafts. The founder of the company, Guchen, has unique ideas about art and industry. His works have successfully broken the dominance of southern furniture in the northern market and are making their way to the south.

Zushu Micro Sculpture

Mr. Peng Zushu spent 10 years looking for fine stones for carving and practicing his skills. He finished 82 pieces of stone sculptures in 2002, incorporating them in his collection called the Story of Stone. There are more than 60,000 words in total carved in this collection, with at least 3,600 words on each stone and 10,000 words at the most. At present, Peng has his own museum and studio to help pass on his fascinating micro sculpturing skills to younger generations.

Hongmei Cloth-pasted Painting

Hongmei Cloth-pasted Painting was developed from the idea of the cloth-pasted painting invented by Mr. Tengteng. Hongmei added contents of Manchu and northeast culture.

Hongmei Cloth-pasted painting is more than folk art, it has also helped the city enrich the culture market and boost the economy. To meet the likes of the customers, their catalog includes various products of different themes — flowers, vegetables, calligraphy, and animals.

The fair also invited foreign artists. The southeastern Asia art works were shown in Zone B. Exotic art pieces from India, Thailand, Laos, Burma and Brunei attracted large amounts of viewers. The fair provided a fantastic platform to enhance cultural and artistic communication.

Other activities were also held by the organizers including a photo show, a day for people with disabilities, a day for seniors and free visits for children of migrant workers and poor families. “We will do our best to ensure that the folk art fair will be a grand cultural event for the public and a famous cultural brand for the city,” said Zhang Shouzhi, director of the organizing committee of the fair.