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Traditional artisans find it hard to carve out a future

By Wu Wencong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-04 08:05

Folk artist Wang Feng shows a papercut portrait of Inesa Pleskacheuskaya, from Belarus, at his workshop at Dashilar, Xicheng district. [Photo/China Daily]

Traditional Chinese craftsmanship in Beijing could disappear, even though the government has been trying hard to help it develop and prosper.

Liu Yu, one of only four practitioners of the art of handmade traditional Liaoqi in China, said the art that was handed down through the generations in his family might be lost soon.

"The art of making Liaoqi has a history of more than 2,400 years, but few people want to learn it today," said Liu's wife.

Liaoqi is a type of glassware that is made of the same material used for the Tang-Dynasty Tricolor Glazed Pottery.

"It is difficult because the only tool used is tweezers," Liu's wife said.

"The artisan needs to put the material in a fire and shape it at the same time. It has to be completed within 20 minutes."

Liu started learning his craft when he was 5 years old. He only became a recognized artisan 20 years later.

"Making Liaoqi requires years developing skills in drawing and sculpting; and it could never be productive because the artisan needs to rest between pieces due to the high temperature of the gas burner," Liu told METRO.

Wang Feng, another folk artist who does silhouette papercuts at Dashilar, Xicheng district, said he thinks few of his apprentices will carry on his craft.

With 30 years' experience, Wang can create a person's portrait using a pair of scissors in just one minute.

"It may seem simple, but you can tell a model's personality from a well-done silhouette," said Wang.

The municipal government has tried many ways to save such traditional crafts.

"We have used the shareholding system to reform many State-owned time-honored brands, such as the Beijing Zhang Yiyuan Tea Co Ltd," said Guo Xin, head of Xicheng district commission of commerce.

Guo said they have also helped many brands to open stores across the country or even in other countries, such as Beijing Neiliansheng Shoes Co Ltd, which has a history of making shoes going back more than 150 years.

Guo said that not many young people today can bear the loneliness of sitting on a bench for hours making shoes.

Dong Jia, a press officer with Neiliansheng, said the company has only three recognized successors. "The most difficult part is to link the upper part of the shoe to the sole, when artisans have to keep bending their waists," she said.

"That's why they all have pains in their neck and waist and why so few young people want to do it."