Rhinoceros, jade, 32cm×23cm×35cm, by Gao Yijin, 2007

Plum-Blossom Folding Fan, ivory, 25cm×40cm, by Zhu Yuanming

Yandang Mountain Amidst Clouds, steatite, Changhua stone, vermilion opal, 36cm×14cm×39cm, by Chen Shunde

The Sound of Spring, 30cm×40cm, decorated with gold, by Jiang Baoluo

Mantis and Chinese Cabbage, emerald, 98cm×66cm×52cm, by Jiang Chunyuan and Shi Qingmei

Subduing Demons at Boyue Cave, lacquer thread carving, 27cm×22cm×30cm, by Cai Shuikuang

The China Arts and Crafts Exhibition, held at the National Art Museum of China, in Beijing, at the beginning of 2009, was the most comprehensive and, indeed, the most dazzling display yet of what this traditional and creative field has produced since the founding of New China.

The exhibits, including jade ware, metal artworks, embroidery works, textiles, pottery, porcelain, lacquer ware, folk and ethnic handicrafts, wood work, ivory and stone carvings, represented virtually every aspect of arts and crafts in the country. The 350 exhibits, crafted by senior and young artists, are treasures selected from thousands of pieces nationwide, and they represent the best of this illustrious branch of Chinese culture and art.

The dual goal of the exhibition was to provide an opportunity for the audience to appreciate the treasures on hand, while also popularizing the traditional culture as a whole.

Chinese people love and hold a special reverence for jade, a gem very much a part of Chinese history and culture. A jade Chinese cabbage exhibited in the main hall particularly drew attention. The 300-kilo crystal white jade piece, seeming to float within a light purple hue, is clear and freshly green on one end. Artfully conceived, it was carved out of a single piece of high quality jade. Thanks to the fine craftsmanship, the audience was able to peer into the natural veins on the white stem and outer leaves of the cabbage, and at the naturally curling light-green tender leaves and two mantises vividly resting on the heart of the cabbage. These and other intricate details combine to make this a rare treasure – and a rare treat, for those jade aficionados attending the exhibition.

Many of the jade carvings draw inspiration from Chinese history. For instance, the craftsman of the Fairyland Elfland’s Hills and Immortal Taizhen was inspired by the love story of Emperor Tang Minghuang (685-762) and Imperial Concubine Yang. On display, there was also a jade carving representing the scene of the Chu-Han War (206-202 B.C.).

Ivory carving is also one of the important traditional Chinese arts and crafts. Since China signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the import of ivory has been strictly prohibited. Due to the scarcity of materials, the ivory carving production suffered a downturn and the craft lacked inheritors. Those hoping for an abundance of fine ivory carvings at the exhibition may have been left lacking.

Yet there were four ivory carvings representing the four Chinese literature classics of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, A Dream of Red Mansions, Water Margin and Journey to the West on four elephant trunks. Dozens of scenes, several hundred figures in costume plus instruments in their hands, were all vividly carved.

The exhibition included many pieces relating stories from the four traditional Chinese literature classics. For instance, the stone carving Three Sworn Brothers in the Peach Garden represents a scene from Three Kingdoms, the lacquer carving Monkey King Subduing Demons at Boyue Cave derives from the plot of Journey to the West, and the clay sculpture Lady Xichun Drawing Pictures and embroidery piece Beauties of Red Mansions were inspired by A Dream of Red Mansions. Many wonderful literary portrayals were thus artfully represented through various forms of arts and crafts.

Ingenious conception is the goal of all serious artists. Among the exhibits was the embroidery piece Watching Moon. It portrays the scenario of a fine and gentle young lady with her head raised, gazing at the moon during a late autumn night, with white dew and blanched marble stairs in the background. According to those who have seen the original painting, the embroidery piece is exactly the same. The rich colors on the embroidery work were pigmented with fine stitches and colorful threads. The thinnest thread applied was only 1/48 the thickness of an ordinary thread. These fine filaments are the basis of this true masterpiece.

An aspect of arts and crafts is the application of achievement in other forms of arts. The painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival displayed at the exhibition was crafted with wheat stalks. The craftsman made full use of the luster and quality of the material to highlight a vibrating street scene — horses, carts and pedestrians streaming along streets among buildings, towers and pavilions. Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, a landscape painting representative of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) painter Huang Gongwang, was embroidered with hair instead of threads. The embroidery work faithfully represents the original painting, and the natural color, sheen and flexibility of the hair make it seem more lustrous and appealing than the original wash painting.

Eighty-seven Celestial Beings, a line drawing by the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) painter Wu Zongyuan, was carved on rosewood with fine surface etching and silver thread inlays. The smooth silver lines finely depict the flying robes and sleeves of immortals, especially that of the fairies when they march forward. To some extent, the artwork is more appealing than the original outline drawing.

These works of art have perfectly represented their respective famous paintings, and this can be attributed to the skill of the masters, and their profound understanding of the paintings and, more importantly, their excellent integration of painting and craftsmanship.

Also at the exhibition were many other paintings representing other forms of art. For instance, Liu Hai Playing with Golden Toad was made into a silk tapestry by way of a cut design method. Other such works include the embroidery piece Emerald Green Jade Flower Stand, random stitch embroidery Great Yellow Flower, reed painting Ancient Lotus Flower Pond, lacquer painting Palaces Where Immortals Live, tri-color glaze The Bird’s Nest in Dreams, red lacquer carving Green Lakes and Mountains and others. The National Art Museum of China has held many painting exhibitions, but this marked the first time so many special artworks represented famous paintings.

The exhibition provided an opportunity for visitors to fully appreciate the great achievements in arts and crafts in China. The elite taste and artistic value of the exhibits brought visitors to marvel at the exhibition. Nevertheless, some commented that while the exhibition reviewed China’s achievements in traditional arts and crafts, not enough attention was paid to contemporary Chinese arts and crafts. With the deepening of cultural exchange between this and other countries, the field of arts and crafts in China is bound to gain more vitality from the exchanges, and result in more fine works bearing distinctive characteristics of the time.