On September 28, "Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China: Guangdong Arts and Crafts Exhibition" opened at the Guangzhou Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center. The exhibition will run until October 31.
Exhibition scene
This exhibition is divided into five sections, displaying nearly 200 exquisite pieces of arts and crafts from different periods. It encompasses over ten categories, including carving, ceramics, lacquerware, furniture, metalwork, embroidery, paper-cutting, weaving, dyeing, and emerging arts and crafts.
Exhibition scene
At the entrance of the exhibition, visitors are greeted by "Spring Dawn of Lingnan" (岭南春晓), a Guangzhou Embroidery masterpiece collected by the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, which is based on the painting of the same name from Lingnan School. Created by 60 Cantonese embroidery artisans, it vividly showcases the distinctive craftsmanship of Cantonese embroidery with its layered and three-dimensional effect.
"Spring Dawn of Lingnan" (岭南春晓)
The Chaozhou ceramic sculpture "Grand Flower Basket of Prosperous Times" (盛世大花篮) is created by Guangdong arts and crafts master Cai Guangqiu. It stands at 1.8 meters tall and 1.18 meters wide, reaching 2.28 meters with its wooden base. It took over a year to complete. Cai shared that the biggest challenge lay in firing it with the premium red glaze at temperatures above 1300°C. During the process, deformation and cracking were common, resulting in a success rate of only 20%.
Cai Guangqiu's "Grand Flower Basket of Prosperous Times"(盛世大花篮)
"Long Live Our Great Motherland" (我们伟大的祖国万岁) is created by Fang Yansheng, founder of the Huicheng arts and crafts workshop, for the 10th National Day. It is a representative of the provincial intangible cultural heritage Jiazi Shell Carving.
Fang Yansheng's "Long Live Our Great Motherland" (我们伟大的祖国万岁)
Among the exhibits, the "Yueyang Tower," crafted with gold-plated silver and jade, combines the iconic tower image with the filigree inlay technique. The tiles, window patterns, upturned eaves, and ridge decorations are all made of metal threads with processes such as open-work, hand-woven, or chisel. The tower is adorned with nearly 3,000 pieces of lapis lazuli, jade, coral, and mammoth ivory, embellished with enamel techniques.
Visitors taking photos in front of "Yueyang Tower"
Fifteen sets of art toys are also launched in this exhibition, including metal 3D puzzles, traditional Chinese-style models, building blocks, blind boxes, and figurines. According to Zhao Yugui, head of the China Art Toy Center, over 70% of art toys in the world come from Dongguan, known as China's art toy capital.
Traditional Chinese-style metal 3D puzzles
Traditional Chinese-style art toys
The exhibition also showcases a wide range of exquisite arts and crafts works such as the world's smallest "miniature hand-pulled teapot" titled "Liuhe Qiankun Pot," and "Folding Screen with Figures," along with exceptional arts and crafts pieces from other provinces in China.
"Folding Screen with Figures" (人物图座屏)
Shanxi painter Xue Shengjin's lacquer painting "Hundred Cats Playing in Spring" (百猫戏春图)
Photo | Nanfang Plus
Editor | Yu Lulu, Cheryl, Nina, James
