Foshan was one of the four famous ancient town in China for its flourishing handicraft industry both at home and  abroad. According to the legend, its highly silled folk art started in Ming Dynasty. It is rich in local characters and enjoys good reputation.

The folk art has a great variety including paper-cut, tying, coloured lantern. They are deeply loved by people for its strong local characters.

Foshan Folk Art Research Institute was set up by the government in 1956. It is a special institution for researching, inheriting and developing Foshan traditional folk art. The institue has received many Chinese and foreign high  offcials, government delegations, and exchanges cultural experience with famous scholars, celeberties and artists. All of them set a high appraise to the artistic achievement of the institute.

In the past years, the institute has held many different artistic exhibitions and festive celebrations in Australia, America, Europe, Africa, south-east Asia, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other place. The masters of the institute have been invited to give artistic lectures or skilled performance.

In the celebration of  97 Hong Kong Return, the institute designed and made the biggest coloured lanterns boats in its history( The big boat is 48m long, 3m wide and 18m high; the small one is 16m long, 5m wide and 10m high). The celebration became the interested points of the world because of its strong national characteristics. The coloured dragon lantern made by the instutue was collected in Guiness World Records.

To celebrate the coming of 2000 years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government held a large coloured lanterns exhibitions in Hong Kong. More than 2000 groups of coloured lanterns and dragon were shown. As part of the celebratons, the mollenium dragon lantern measured a world record 280m long from head to tail, 14m tall from the head to the ground, 4800 square metres areas. It was collected in Guinness World Records.

To celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival of 2000 years, the Guang Zhou government held a large coloured-lanterns performance on the Pearl River, Thirty-eight boats with coloured laterns(16m long, 5m wide, 5m high)made by the institute were parading on the river. The parade extended five kilommetres long. It was a grand scene never seen on the Pearl River.

Three works of the coloured lanterns made by the institute were collected in the Guinness World Records.

The institute is open to the public. The near 1600 square metres art crafts shop exhibits the the folk art of Foshan and traditional handicrafts from all over the country. Here you can enjoy the skilled performances by the craftsmen, which provides opportunity to enhance the cultural and artistic exchanges and friendship between peoples of all nations and to let tourists enjoy the local artistry.

Editor: Wings