In her view, craftsman Jamaicans Sugardaddy human energy is not just about “choosing one thing in life”, Being able to endure rigidity and loneliness, and the cultivation of ingenuity, every piece of work must be polished to create “brightness” in loneliness and even hardship.
It ranks among the “Eight Masters of Yanjing” in other skills, and was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Yu Chunxia, a master of artistic craftsmanship, has been inheriting filigree inlay techniques for more than 40 years, allowing fine traditional culture to “fly” into people’s homes and take on new glory in the new era.
In Xihaizi Park, Tongzhou, Beijing, there is a burning lighthouse. Thirty years ago, the Beijing Filigree Inlay Factory was under this lighthouse. Yu Chunxia studied crafts, life, and work under the guidance of Jamaica Sugar Daddy. Her craftsmanship is refined here, and the spirit of craftsmanship is rooted here.
The burning lighthouse is Yu Chunxia’s youth landmark, and it is also her spiritual landmark. As a master of craftsmanship, Yu Chunxia continues to use her works to establish new coordinates in the industrial art world. In the display cabinets of his studio, rows of filigree inlays sparkle with magnificent colors, filigree enamel ornaments are brightly glazed and beautiful, and jewelry and jade are carefully crafted with ingenuity, blending tradition and modernity. Pushing Western aesthetics to the extreme, it not only reflects the light of “wisdom and art”, but also expresses her love and persistence in specializing in filigree inlays.
Continue to write the story of “Gold and Fire”
Filigree inlay is a traditional Chinese handicraft technique, mainly used in the production of royal jewelry. It is listed among the “Eight Wonders of Yanjing” along with Beijing embroidery, ivory carving, lacquer carving and other techniques. In 2008, it was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. Talking about my persistence in filigree inlay skills for more than 40 years,Yu Chunxia fondly recalled her mother and the master who brought her in. In the 1960s and 1970s, a period of material poverty but simple and happy days, they pointed out the direction for her to progress in her artistic path.
Yu Chunxia was born in Beijing and grew up in Wendeng, Shandong. My mother, Wang Guifen, was an advanced worker in the Beijing Embroidery Factory. She once attended Chairman Mao’s military parade at Tiananmen Square. In 1966, my mother returned to her hometown of Wendeng and continued to pass on the Lu embroidery skills. No matter how difficult the surrounding situation was, she never gave up. The pursuit of “arts and crafts” also gave Yu Chunxia her earliest enlightenment education in artistic aesthetics.
In 1979, 16-year-old Yu Chunxia went north alone and became a skilled worker in the old filigree inlay factory in Beijing. Here, she devoted herself to learning art, and Zhang Shishi, a well-known art master in the industry at that time, even took the initiative to teach her painting. Having painting skills is the key ability for technical workers to become masters, and Yu Chunxia dreams of learning it. “Teacher Zhang only picked me out of so many workers. This favor is something I will never forget.”
During the long period of learning, Yu Chunxia absorbed the strengths of all the teachers. , constantly summarizing and analyzing on a subtle basis, constantly improving and sublimating in practical operations, mastering various techniques of filigree inlay, and striving to achieve precision production for each work. When the factory recommended outstanding apprentices to study at a technical school for arts and crafts, Yu Chunxia stood out.
During her further studies, Yu Chunxia studied freehand painting and the design and production of jewelry and precious metal ornaments. After returning from her studies, the jewelry she made was very different from what it was two years ago, and she began to inject her own aesthetic understanding into each piece. In 1987, the metalwork ornament “Qilin Sends a Child” jointly produced by her and her apprentices won the Southeast Asia Group Production Honor Award, and gradually became famous in the filigree inlay industry. In 2000, Yu Chunxia also completed the restoration of cultural relics in the Palace Museum with her apprentices, gaining a deeper understanding of the craftsmen’s responsibility in inheriting history and culture.
Decades later, Yu Chunxia was lucky enough to meet Teacher Zhang Shishi by chance, and learned that the teacher was still deeply involved in the craftsmanship. She admired her very much and was honored that she had finally gained a foothold in this industry. The clouds opened to see the sunrise, and we did not live up to the responsibility of inheritance. “My mother and my masters’ adhering to the skill of rivalry is like a fire, deeply rooted in my heart. After more than 40 years of ups and downs, it is still burning hot.” Yu Chunxia said emotionally.
Works are the “traces” of vitality
“A person must do something in his life to be worthy of his life.” This is the sentence that her mother has the most profound impact on Chunxia.
In the late 1990s, the factory and the market began to cooperate together. As a senior technical staff member, Yu Chunxia was sent to Longfu Building, Laohua Market, and Xidan Market to do jewelry processing. With her superb skills, there is an endless stream of owners who come to see her, hoping to use her skillful hands to “express love with things”. Yu Chunxia integrates the masters’ Jamaica Sugar love, family affection, and friendship into her artistic creation, into every line drawing and every step. In the inlay of gold wires, it quietly forms its own unique master style.
Since 2010, Yu Chunxia has turned her attention to the traditional art of “Kaktu”. This craft originated from Russia and spread in China during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. Its filigree craftsmanship and firing process are extremely complex. It combines the strengths of the two royal crafts of cloisonne and filigree inlay to create a product that is even better than cloisonné. Exquisite and more magnificent than traditional filigree inlays. Integrating Eastern and Western cultures, with bright colors and beautiful appearance.
Among the “Kaktu” works created by Yu Chunxia, the birth of one work left her unforgettable. In the winter of 2015, Yu Chunxia returned to her long-lost hometown and saw a group of swans circling and resting on the sea surface in Rongcheng Bay. “The swans fly here from Siberia to spend the winter, and they are very picky about the water quality and the surrounding conditions. They rest here, which shows how good the conditions around Weihai are.” She was filled with excitement and decided to create a discovery with the pure beauty of nature. A piece of work. As a result, the “Kaktu” sterling silver work – “Three Swan Jugs with Cloisonné Painted Enamel Gemstones”, which uses sterling silver as a body and integrates multi-filament inlay techniques, came into being. In the picture, there are three swans with various shapes. The swan is wandering in a clear water, surrounded by various flowers with gemstones as stamens, as if it is a human spirit with a soul. This work won the gold medal of the “Hundred Flowers Award” of the China Arts and Crafts Awards, and was selected for the China Contemporary Arts and Crafts Biennale. It was later exhibited by the National Museum of China and added to my favorites.
In recent years, 8 works including the sterling silver “Filigree Enamel Tourmaline Sword” created by Yu Chunxia have been exhibited by the National Museum of China, the China Revolutionary Military Museum and the China Arts and Crafts Museum. favorite. “I am very grateful to the country for its strong support for the development of traditional skills and the transportation platform it has built. This is the best period for us non-genetic people.”
As the inheritor of filigree inlay skills, Yu Chunxia also entered the world stage at the best time. Her work “Filigree Enamel Spoon Set” won the special prize in the second “Silk Road Craftsman” International Skills Competition. Many foreign friends expressed heartfelt admiration when watching the exhibition on site. In Yu Chunxia’s view, there is only one kind of eternal energy andOnly when ideas are injected into a work, making it full of appeal and vitality, can it be called a work passed down from generation to generation.
“Embedded” highlights intangible cultural heritage Jamaicans SugardaddyRoad
Thinking about it now, factory restructuring is difficultJamaica Sugar, many colleagues around me are unable to give up their profession and look for another future. But Yu Chunxia gritted her teeth and persisted. In her opinion, the spirit of a craftsman is not just about “choosing one thing in life”, being able to endure rigidity and loneliness, but also the cultivation of craftsmanship. Each work must be polished in loneliness and even suffering. “bright”.
From the first day she came into contact with filigree inlay, Yu Chunxia took it as her responsibility to revive traditional handicraft skills. In order to let more people know about the filigree inlay technology, she actively participated in the “Hundred Masters Entering Campus” campaign initiated by the China Light Industry Federation, and regularly visited design schools in various universities to give public lectures. “Seeing the filigree inlay technology bloom into the glory of the new era in the hands of the students, the sense of satisfaction at that moment is unparalleled.” Yu Chunxia sighed, “An era has its own symbol, and only by continuous innovation can ancient technologies be transformed. It has been passed down forever.” In recent years, Yu Chunxia has also been actively innovating traditional techniques. In her opinion, the application of filigree inlay in cultural and creative products is far wider than everyone imagines, and she hopes that filigree inlay can keep up. The pace of the times exudes unique charm in new scenes and new fields.
Talking about the next creation, Yu Chunxia revealed that the China National Ethnic Products Association recently commissioned her, hoping to design a unique charm that symbolizes the totem culture of 56 ethnic groups. Features of trophies. This is not only trust in her, but also confirmation of her filigree inlay skills. “The best attitude toward inheritance is to persist, and the best recognition of national handicraft culture is to persist.” In persisting, Yu Chunxia created a new world of her own craftsmanship. (China Women’s Daily all-media trainee reporter Huang Ting and trainee Huang Xubin)