Fujian Crafts: Fujian crafts make first listing in National Folk-art Revival Catalogue

World
Europe

02:54

21 traditional hand-made crafts from South China's Fujian Province have made the first listing in the National Folk-art Revival Catalogue. The Catalogue is based on projects that have already been listed as national intangible cultural heritages. In Fujian Province, traditional and high-quality hand-made crafts are expected to become a new GDP growth. Qi Jie has more.

Carved wooden furniture made in Xianyou County is famous for absorbing traditions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, going back some 400 to 600 years.

YANG XIONGSHENG CRAFTSMAN "We take care with every carving detail. Each detail indicates the beauty of these lines and frames. And this is the aesthetics of our classical furniture."

Yang Xiongsheng has won gold medals at both the Chinese Classical Furniture Fair and the Chinese Arts and Crafts Master's Fair. As a representative of his generation, Yang always believes that true craftsmanship is sooner or later recognized.

YANG XIONGSHENG CRAFTSMAN "The inheritance of handicraft is progressing in an orderly manner. Good raw materials need safe hands and skilled craftsmen need the right industrial environment to fulfill their career. So Xianyou is the right place to turn all those possibilities into reality."

So far, there are 3,500 arts and crafts industries in Xianyou, employing more than 150-thousand people. The annual output value is over 30 billion yuan, or about 4.5 billion US dollars. China is supporting such projects to promote the development of traditional handicraft industries nationwide.

The Catalogue also includes the craftsmanship of bodiless lacquer ware made in Fuzhou, the capital of the province. Laquer products have been traditionally associated with hard materials such as iron, porcelain and wood, but never leather. Now, young craftsmen have achieved a breakthrough.

LAN XIN CRAFTSMAN "To combine lacquer with leather. No matter how you fold it, no problem. And we've already applied for a national patent."

ZHOU RUNDA CRAFTSMAN "This new skill will become indispensable to modern life because it's important for younger generations to get to know more about the art of lacquer. I believe there's a bright future for lacquer products."

The provincial government is cataloguing the selected crafts to ensure best practices in the revival project. QI JIE, CGTN.