When speaking of weddings, what comes to your mind? Are you thinking of the bride and bridegroom swearing an oath at the church and enjoying a wonderful honeymoon after that? For Hakka people, a wedding is another story. The bridegroom needs to go the bride's home to escort her back to the wedding. On the way back, there will be a long queue of followers, who are responsible for showing the way, playing wedding songs, carrying the bridal sedan as well as sending dowry and wines. In this group of clay figurines, you can have a closer glimpse of the whole scene and feel the cheerful and festive vibe.
A group of clay figurines features Hakka wedding. (Photo: Monica Liu)
They are created by Liu Yuansheng, a Hakka clay figurine master, who specializes in using clay sculptures to showcase the history, customs and bygone daily lives of Hakka people. A toddling baby with his mother, a child helping his grandmother do housework, a family gathering together to have dinner...viewing a variety of his sculptures, you will feel like watching a story collection of Hakka locals.
All the above sculptures are being displayed in the exhibition entitled Liu Yuansheng's Hakka Clay Figurine Arts, from September 3 to 17 at the Lingnan Club Cultural Exhibition Hall on Ersha Island, Guangzhou. The exhibition is mainly divided into three parts with different themes, namely, Hakka's traditional family virtues, local customs and the portraits of famous musicians.
Clay figurines created by Liu Yuansheng are on display at the Lingnan Club Cultural Exhibition Hall on Ersha Island, Guangzhou from now till September 17, 2021. (Photo: Monica Liu)
The first part shares the stories of how the elders teach their children, showcasing Hakka people's values such as filial piety, emphasis on education and their willingness to contribute to the society. The second part presents various scenes of their old-time lives to demonstrate their local traditions and customs. The last part is the portraits of a number of well-known musicians, such as Austrian composer Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer of the European Classical period.
Born in 1967 in Meixian County in eastern Guangdong, Liu Yuansheng is an indigenous Hakka local. He combines the Hakka culture and folk clay figurine artistry to completely portray the original Hakka characteristics.
A visitor views the exhibition. (Photo: Monica Liu)
Liu Yuansheng (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)
"My works aims to reflect Hakka people's traditional lives, which have faded or is disappearing. They are the marks of our childhood, and that's before the 1970s," he said.
Hakka culture plays an important role in Guangdong, if you are interested in learning more about Guangdong culture, don't miss out!
Ticket Price: Free
Time: 9:30-17:00 (closed on Monday)
Date: September 3-17, 2021
Venue: 2nd-5th Floor, Lingnan Club Cultural Exhibition Hall (岭南会展览馆)
Add.: No.13, Qingbo Road, Ersha Island, Guangzhou (广州市二沙岛晴波路13号)
Nearest bus station: Ershaxi Station (二沙西站)
Author | Nancy (intern)
Editor | Monica & Jerry