Folk art

Basic Introduction to Maliu EmbroideryMaliu Embroidery is a folk cross-stitch embroidery from Liuxiang, Chaotian District. Maliu embroidery women use various colored local threads to embroider on different types of local cloth. The patterns they create depict themes such as love and happiness, farming and harvesting, entertainment and dance, or flowers, birds, insects, and fish, all imbued with the spirit of northern Sichuan and a strong rustic charm. As it is handmade by cross-stitching, Maliu embroidery has a strong individual character and is highly valuable for collectors. Many tourists and collectors both domestically and internationally cherish them as precious treasures, taking great pleasure in collecting them.The "Chinese Folk Art Hometown," Liuxiang, is renowned at home and abroad for its rustic Maliu customs and folk embroidery. It is said that the people of Maliu are descended from Han Chinese assimilation of the Qiang ethnic group. People in Maliu like to wear clothes embroidered with exquisite patterns and live in stilt houses known as "main house with side pavilions." They enjoy singing mountain songs, playing gongs (drums), and lion-dragon dances... their simple folkways are similar to those of the Qiang people. Maliu embroidery is a handicraft passed down from generation to generation. In…

Basic Introduction to Huishan Clay FigurinesHuishan clay figurines are one of the three renowned local specialties of Wuxi. Local artists in Wuxi extract black clay from beneath the ground (about one meter below) at the foot of the northeast slope of Mount Huishan. This clay is characterized by its fine and soft texture, it doesn't crack when twisted, doesn't break when bent, and doesn't split when dry, making it highly malleable and ideal for sculpting. Over several hundred years, Huishan clay figurines have been nurtured by artisans who have preserved traditions while continuously innovating, giving birth to a marvelously intricate and vibrant folk art culture. They are characterized by full-bodied forms, smooth lines, vivid colors, lively expressions, and are appreciated by both the refined and the common. Product CharacteristicsThe themes of Huishan clay figurines are rich and varied, their craftsmanship exquisite, their depictions lifelike, and they are enjoyed by both the refined and the common. The products can be divided into two main categories: one type consists of hand-sculpted clay figurines, which are ingeniously conceived and finely crafted. Guo Moruo praised them with the words "figures ancient or modern, emerge from the hands in a moment." These are considered high-quality…

Basic Introduction to Huan County Shadow Puppetry Shadow puppetry is an ancient folk art of the Han nationality. It originated over two thousand years ago during the Western Han Dynasty, also known as the Sheepskin Play or colloquially as Human Head Play, Shadow Play, or Oxhide Lantern Shadow. It originated in Shaanxi Province, China, matured in the Qin-Jin-Yu region during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and was most prevalent in Hebei during the Qing Dynasty. Product Characteristics The shadow puppets are characterized by their handsome and generous shapes, with bold and clear outer contours; the engraving is delicate and fluid. Historical Folklore Over two thousand years ago, Emperor Wu of Han's beloved concubine Lady Li fell ill and passed away. The emperor was so distraught that he became detached from his senses and neglected state affairs. One day, Minister Li Shaoweng came across a child playing with a cloth doll, whose shadow cast on the ground was vividly lifelike. Inspired, Li Shaoweng cut out an image of Lady Li from cotton fabric, painted it with colors, and attached wooden rods to its limbs. At night, he set up a square curtain, lit candles, and invited the emperor to sit inside…

BEIJING, July 18 ( tasteallchina ) -- Inside a futuristic exhibition center in Beijing, a two-armed robot is busy making sugar paintings. Its smooth and delicate movements attract a crowd of visitors. The robot is acting as a "craftsperson" of this traditional folk art of Beijing, which is an intangible cultural heritage of China. But the machine also serves as both a witness to and reference point for the growing convergence of fields of knowledge with vastly different origins, a convergence that challenges the limitations of time and geography. At the seventh International Symposium on Cultural Heritage Conservation by Digitization held at the center, hundreds of experts and practitioners from home and abroad are considering the relationship between cultural heritage and new technologies. BOOSTING CULTURAL INHERITANCE For many, the promotion of traditional culture is one of the areas in which technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role. "AI is a booster of cultural inheritance," said Guo Chunchao, leader of Tencent Hunyuan Text to 3D, an AI model developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent. The AI large language model technology has significantly improved the efficiency of information retrieval and modeling, accelerating the digitization of cultural heritage, he…