Innovation gives Jinan handicrafts new lease of life
english.jinan.gov.cn2022-09-20

Located in the core business area of Quancheng Road, Lixia district, Jinan, the Shandong Arts and Crafts Exhibition Center opened to the public on Sept 15.

The Jinan pavilion, which is on the second floor of the center, impresses visitors with various handicraft techniques, such as the Shanghe handwoven cloth making technique, the Jinan shadow puppet, which was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011, and the 8,000-year-old lacquer technique.

The combination of the lacquer technique with a round fan and fabric is an eye-catching exhibit at the Jinan pavilion.

The lacquer technique is a comprehensive technique that uses lacquer to make and restore artifacts, according to Wang Guoqiang, an inheritor of the traditional lacquer technique.

The lacquer round fans are made with "drifting" lacquer, which is the lacquer diluted with turpentine, so the colors "drift" in the lacquer to form a unique pattern, Wang said.

Another Jinan intangible cultural heritage item is the Jinan Rabbit King, which has developed impressively in recent years, becoming an iconic character that helps promote Jinan to visitors.

Different from traditional Rabbit King toys, the ones made by Yang Feng, a Rabbit King inheritor, adopt spring-related elements, which are aimed to promote Jinan's spring culture.

Yang also makes Rabbit King cushions, T-shirts, badges, and notebooks.

In 2020, Yang cooperated with Jinan Shangri-La Hotel to create Rabbit King themed rooms, incorporating Rabbit King elements in interior design, bedding, and toiletries, to offer visitors a taste of Jinan's intangible and traditional culture.

"We will create more Rabbit King serial products in the future," Yang said, aiming to further popularize this Jinan ICH item, especially among the younger generations who are interested in traditional Chinese products.

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