Exhibition showcases ancient Huizhou crafts

The Huizhou area has contributed handsomely to Chinese culture throughout Chinese history. Huizhou culture flourished in the southern Anhui region and influenced a wide range of fields - philosophy, literature, medicine, architecture, fine art, handicrafts and folk customs.

An exhibition jointly organized by the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Anhui provincial department of culture and the Huangshan city government is highlighting traditional crafts from the area.

The event, which began on April 11, will run until the end of May.

The traditional crafts from the region include xuan rice paper and Huizhou ink sticks, which used to be offered to royal families as tribute. Many of these items are still made today.

At the exhibition, more than 80 items like ink stones, ink sticks, paintbrushes, lacquer ware, bamboo carvings and stone carvings are on display.

The exhibition features recently produced pieces and pictures of old items from the Palace Museum, to offer a better understanding of how the craftsmanship involved in the production process has evolved.

Kuai Zhenghua, a nationally recognized exponent of traditional woodcarving from Huangshan, is one of the master craftspeople in attendance.

The 56-year-old has both his own creations and old pieces repaired by him in the show.

He has been repairing rundown pieces for the past two decades. He uses history books and his skills to restore the pieces.

"There is always a story behind each piece. Sometimes it is very hard to find the allusions. But more often than not, it is possible to find clues," he says.

Kuai, who became a woodcarver at 20, says that he has learned a lot from the repair process.

"The ancient pieces should be protected and passed on to future generations," says Kuai, adding that he is glad that the government is very supportive of heritage protection.

According to him, there are now more young people willing to learn the craft, as there is greater need for such work with Huizhou-style architecture in the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun, which were listed as world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2000.

According to Shan Jixiang, curator of the Palace Museum, the show is being held to showcase intangible cultural heritage and the beauty of ancient Huizhou crafts.

In November 2016, the Palace Museum set up a pilot work station in Huangshan city to study and promote the region's traditional crafts.

Contact the writer at @chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

8:30 am-5 pm, until May 31. Yongshou Palace in the Palace Museum, 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 8511-7575.

liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn