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CHINA TODAY
J
ADE enjoys a high cultural status in China. It is regarded as a symbol of virtue and nobility. A popular proverb says, “For a man of true nobility, it’s better to be a broken piece of jade than a whole tile.” It means that a man would rather die in glory than live in dishonor.炒蛋怎么做
Seen as the esnce of Heaven and Earth, jade was ud to make sacrificial vesls for royal families in ancient dynasties. Royal family and nobles wore jade jewelry and regarded it as a symbol of status.
Chine people love jade for the virtue it repre-nts. It is hard yet warm, beautiful yet rerved,鹏城交友
By staff reporter DENG DI
noble yet inclusive. The phra, “As modest and gen-tle as jade” is often ud to describe a man with dis-creet gentility. And Chine characters synonymous with jade are also a popular choice for children’s names.
According to archaeological findings, Chine knew about and began to u jade during the Hong-shan and Liangzhu cultures in the Neolithic Age, which is over 10,000 years ago. Since then, jade ar-tisans one generation after another have made bril-liant artworks of jade, with their exquisite skills and intricate techniques.
Among all kinds of sophisticated jade carving skills in China, the Beijing jade carving craft is world
The jade cabbage, a collected art piece at the Taipei Palace Muum, is a renowned mas-terpiece of Beijing Jade Carving.
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sculptures were frequently ud to make complex patterns. Artworks of this craft collected in the Pal-ace Muum of Beijing all embody the noble and elegant temperament of the capital city. Jade-carved animals and birds, in particular, are plump and ro-bust, and utensils also look magnificent. Some have ornaments like flowers, twisted roots and gnarled branches.
Artwork Made from Jade Carvings
Beijing jade carving artisans u fine materials, such as white jade, jasper, and grey jade, and exqui-site craftsmanship to produce a wide range of uten-sils and ornaments.
In the hands of skilled artisans, a piece of rough jade needs to go through multiple process to be-come a fine work of art, including material lection, cleaning, cutting, designing, and carving to final polishing. In addition, good tools are also esntial. There are different tools for different sizes of jade and different products to be made. One frequently ud tool is the emery carving head.
During the process, there is a paramount rule, which is to match the artwork with the appropriate tools since the texture of jade differs from piece to
piece. The whole process is to “sub-tract” unnecessary parts and leave the esnce, and every step
is criti-cal. Sometimes, the mi-finished product deviates a lot, or is even to-tally different to the original design.
Lifelong Devotion
Zhang Tiecheng is a third-generation inheritor of the Beijing jade carving craft. His works are magnificent, incorporating royal elements.
“Jade carving is a process of re-peated work. Cutting and polishing a piece of jade is energy-consuming, but it’s worthwhile when eing the final product,” he said.
Zhang still vividly remembers all the steps in his career. In 1983, when the technical school affili-ated to the Beijing Jade Factory was recruiting students, he decided to
famous for its magnificence and u of royal ele-ments. Artifacts made by this craft are widely ap-preciated worldwide. They are also protected by the state, and rank among the “Eight Magnificent Trea-sures of Beijing.”
From Palace to Houholds
Beijing jade carving is a popular craft in Beijing. It ud to be an imperial craft, since jade was initially owned, for the most part, by the royal family and no-bility, and only a small amount was available among the general public. The renowned jade cabbage in the collection of the Taipei Palace Muum in Taiwan is a typical example of this craft.
8月22日是什么星座
The craft originated in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) with the founder reportedly being Qiu Chuji, a noted figure in China’s Taoist history. In the following Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a jade studio was t up in the imperial court, which gathered skilled jade cut-ters from across the country to make fine products for the royal family. From this point, the imperial jade carving craft took off.
我爱自由Moving forward to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), jade was especially popular in Beijing, and the craft of carving jade reached a peak. After the end of the Qing Dynasty, the jade carving industry continued to flourish, and the emergence of Pan Bingh-eng, Liu Deying, He Rong, Wang Shun, and other outstanding craftsmen brought this craft into a new era.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Bei-jing jade carving industry grew ex-ponentially, with thousands of ar-tisans pouring their creativity into exclusive works of art. This period witnesd the making of four national treasures made of jade: Wonders of Mount Tai, Treasur
e-gathering Cenr, Universal Jubila-tion, and Flowers’ Basket. In 2008, the Beijing jade carving craft was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Beijing jade artifacts are sol-emn-looking. Circular and relief
中秋菊盛开In the hands of skilled arti-sans, a piece of rough jade needs to go through multi-ple process to become a fine work of art, including material lec-tion, cleaning, cutting, de-signing, and carving to final
2岁宝宝不爱吃饭polishing.
Wonders of Mt. Tai, a Beijing jade carving master-piece, shows the majestic beauty of China’s Mt. Tai.
静静的河
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try his luck even though he knew nothing about jade carving at the time. Unexpectedly, he was accepted. After four years of training, he graduated and entered the Beijing Jade Factory.
Upon graduation, Zhang recalled, only 20 percent of the 30 students in his school cho to stay in the industry. With diligence and perverance, Zhang gradually found his direction. Years of hard work eventually bore fruit and he is now a master of this craft.
In his career, 2008 was a significant year. That year, the Olympic Games were held in Beijing, which made China the focus of the world. Chine jade culture was also introduced to the world through the Olympic emblem “China al” and the Olympic medals inlaid with jade. Zhang participated in the design of both.“In Chine culture, jade reprents integrity, while
我等着你回来
gold reprents wealth. We match white jade with
CulTure / inTangible CulTural heriTage
gold, light greenish jade with silver, and grey jade with bronze to make the medals a perfect combina-tion of integrity and honor. Meanwhile, the medals are unbreakable becau of a special technique ud,” said Zhang. “As athletes travel all over the world, Chine culture conveyed by jade has also spread to where the medals go.”
Making Olympic medals brought Zhang more recognition from his peers. In 2010, he was invited to restore the interior jade decoration of the Qianlong Garden at the Palace Muum. During his work, Zhang felt sad that the once booming craft was dying.
As an inheritor of Beijing jade carving, Zhang Tiecheng has incorporated new notions of aestheti-cism into the making of this traditional craft. He hopes that more young people could learn the skills so that this ancient craft will continue to flourish for many years to come. C
Zhang Tiecheng has incorporated new notions of aestheticism into the making of this
traditional craft.
Treasure-Gather-ing Cenr, one of the four national treasures made of jade, on display.
