Kites Making Were A China Traditional Craft
Kites were invented in China over 2000 years ago. Throughout history, Chinese traditional culture integrated with kite craft, and finally formed a unique kite culture. As a traditional craft, the kite has formed unique style in different regions all over China.
Weifang lies in the middle of the Shandong Penisula. Facing the East China Sea, it is an ideal place for kite flying because of the abundant wind.
Families of the Yang Clan in Yangjiabu, a small town in Weifang, started to make kites in the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Villagers in Yangjiabu applied the techniques of woodblock New Year picture-making to kite-making. In the spring, they flew kites in their free time for entertainment. But gradually, kites became commercial products. By the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty, the kite-making business was already an important industry in Weifang.
The characteristics of the artistic style and crafting of Weifang kites are their carefully selected materials, exquisite sculptures, vivid images, bright-colored paintings, and agile flight. Birds, animals, flowers, fishes, insects, folk stories and fairy tales are the main subjects painted on the kites or shapes of kites.
Nantong is located in the east of Jiangsu Province, near the mouth of the Yangtze River, where the mild climate and wind power are conducive to kite-flying.
The Nantong Banyao Kite is also known as the Whistling Banyao, which dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Banyao kites are enormous and flat, with hexagons as the base frame and decorated in exquisite paintings in strong colors. The most outstanding characteristic of the Banyao kite is the sound device. Various whistles, big and small, with anywhere from one hundred to three hundred sounds, are installed on the kite. While flying, it will make different sounds, like a symphony in the sky. It is more exquisite and elegant when compared with northern kites.
Lhasa kites are popular in Lhasa, Shigatse, and neighboring Nepal. Kite-flying once prevailed among Tibetan aristocrats during the Qing Dynasty. The 13th Dalai Lama was said to be a kite-lover.
The eighth month of the Tibetan calendar is the season for kite flying. There are strict regulations for kite flying in Tibet. For example, kites are only flown after The Shoton Festival in Lhasa. Kites in Tibet are usually in the shape of diamond. The difference lies in the designs painted on the kite which can be beards, black heads, staring eyes, teeth, aprons, or leg bones.
When flying kites, people love to ‘fight’ with each other by controlling the rise and fall of the kites. One loses when the thread is broken. Therefore Tibetans used to coat the threads with a mixture of smashed glass, rice, sugar and water to make them strong.
The Shadow Puppet Play Is Chinese Traditional Folk Handicraft
The shadow puppet play with written records dated back to the Song Dynasty, and Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty had had the performance of shadow play yet. At that time, the shadow plays were divided into the shadow hand play, the shadow puppet play (including the shadow paper play), and the large shadow play. Many grand occasions of the performances had been recorded by the Song people. While in Yuan Dynasty, owning to the westward conquest by the Mongolia troops, the Chinese shadow plays were introduced into the Middle East, Arab, Turkey, Egypt, and other countries, and later brought to some East European countries. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the contents and forms of the shadow plays had some new developments, thereby forming the various genres with local colors.
The principle and methods of shadow performance adopted by the shadow puppet played an important leading role in the invention of the modern movie and the development of the movies and cartoons. Nowadays, the Chinese shadow puppet plays have been collected by the museums of many countries in the world; meanwhile they are the best presents sent by the Chinese governmental leaders for their foreign counterparts.
Ladle Mask Has Become The Treasure Of Chinese Folk Art
Shehuo ladle mask is mainly painted on the wooden ladle – a utensil used to scoop water or grain in ancient China, so it is called ladle mask.The ladle was a daily utensil used by ancient Chinese to feed the horses; usually the round shaped was for scooping water, while the rectangular shaped for getting feedstuff.
To prevent their livestock from the injury of natural pest/disease and ensure their safe and peaceful life, the forefathers painted gods or amulets on the ladles, so the masks were the beautiful wishes for peaceful and happy life of ancient Chinese.The ladle, with wood as the raw material, is easy to make, and the mask can be painted either in a simple or sophisticated way. The ladle masks primarily use colors to embody the characteristics of the figures, usually black standing for strong, red loyal, white treacherous, yellow violent, blue imprudent, and green righteous.
As an object used to ward off evil spirit and expel desolation for the residential buildings, the ladle masks were usually hanged in the hall or bedroom to express the house owner’s wishes for good luck and plenty of wealth; and still some just used the masks as decorations. Special attention is paid on the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth when a mask is being painted and colored. Based on the temperament and facial features of the painted figure, the craftsman would paint the five organs and skin color in an exaggerated way, so as to highlight the innate character of various figures. Usually strong contrast of color is stressed, which is bold and unconstrained, and has strong symbolic meanings, for instance, red symbolizes loyal, white treacherous, black upright, grey brave, yellow vigorous, blue reckless, and so on. Thus the ladle mask is quite popular with the folks. Thanks to the inheritance and development of modern folk artists, the ladle mask has become the treasure of Chinese folk art.