Ma Fuliang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He studied under his father, Ma Zuowen, first encountered filigree inlay techniques in 1975, and embarked on a creative path of exploration, research and development. Within the regional tradition and school record of Filigree Inlay Craftsmanship in Dachanghuizuzizhi, Hebei: The Dachang Hui Autonomous County branch traces its roots to the Ming dynasty, when gold- and silver-smiths from the Western Regions migrated north with the capital relocation and settled there, bringing a Persian lineage of patterns and manual craft; throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties its products were listed as court tribute. The work runs from design and material cutting, body making and tracing, line marking, to wire making and gluing, wire soldering, acid and washing treatment, stone selection and setting, and finally assembly and gilding/silver plating—the full sequence, and those who could complete the whole set were called 'full-craft' (quanhuo) masters. Transmission first passed from father to son, then later added the master-apprentice path. Filigree-inlay has a long history: it first appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn period, and reached a remarkably high level by the Ming dynasty. After the Qing dynasty, filigree-inlay developed even further; fine works emerged one after another and won renown both at home and abroad. In old Beijing, most filigree-inlay artisans lived clustered in Tongzhou. The Beijing Filigree-Inlay Factory, founded in 1958, was the main producer of Beijing filigree-inlay handicrafts, and its products were mostly for export. In the late 1980s, the factory's exports fell sharply, and it entered a period of decline. In 2002, the Beijing Filigree-Inlay Factory was declared bankrupt. In Dachang Hui Autonomous County, Hebei Province, the craft of filigree-inlay was already beginning to take shape in the Han dynasty. During the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty, when the Yongle Emperor (Chengzu) moved the capital to Beijing, gold- and silver-smiths from the Western Regions migrated north with him and settled in the Hui-inhabited areas of Dachang. Throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dachang filigree-inlay developed rapidly, and its products were designated as tribute items by the imperial court.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Han ethnicity, born in March 1958 in Dachang Hui Autonomous County, Hebei Province. National representative bearer of Filigree Inlay Craftsmanship, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. A technician of filigree inlay making and a National Model Worker. Over many years he has continued to study and delve into the design, development and making of filigree inlay, seeking to unite past and present and to blend Chinese and Western approaches while introducing modern aesthetics. He has become an expert in the full range of techniques: filigree inlay, shaolan (enamelling), chiselling and stone setting. He has designed and made more than 1,100 works. Using superior materials and dense, elaborate patterns, finely executed, they combine religious, cultural, aesthetic and technical elements from many dynasties and ethnic groups, forming a distinctive manual process and set of formal characteristics that stand alone in the world of arts and crafts and possess high aesthetic value. His work Lianhua Xun (Lotus Censer) received the Gold Award at the China Ethnic and Folk Arts and Crafts Exposition, conferred by the China Ethnic and Folk Arts and Crafts Association. Within the documented technical tradition of Filigree Inlay Craftsmanship in Dachanghuizuzizhi, Hebei: Filigree-inlay is a traditional imperial court handicraft that mainly uses materials such as gold and silver, and is made into ornamental objects through processes such as setting gemstones and pearls or weaving. The filigree-inlay craft is complex and can roughly be divided into eight techniques—pinching (qia), filling (tian), assembling (zan), soldering (han), piling (dui), stacking (lei), weaving (zhi), and braiding (bian). The skill is exquisite, the forms elegant, and the patterns varied, giving it a traditional artistic character. Filigree-inlay products are generally divided into two categories. The first is 'filigree' (huasi): drawing gold and silver into fine wires and using techniques such as piling, stacking, and weaving to make handicrafts. The second is 'inlay' (xiangqian): hammering gold and silver sheets into vessels, then engraving patterns and setting them with gemstones and pearls. The filigree-inlay techniques of Beijing Municipality and Dachang Hui Autonomous County of Hebei Province are especially distinctive and the most renowned in the trade. Beijing filigree-inlay excels at weaving and piling, and often employs the 'tiandian' (kingfisher-feather inlay) technique—applying the blue-green feathers of the kingfisher bird onto gold and silver objects to enhance the artistic effect. They brought traditional Persian patterns and manual techniques, raising the filigree-inlay craft to a new level. The Dachang filigree-inlay process is complex; the entire production involves many steps—design, material cutting, body making, tracing, line marking, wire making, wire gluing, wire soldering, acid (strong-acid) treatment, washing, stone selection, stone setting, assembly, gilding, and silver plating. The products are varied in form, rich in pattern, and finely made, possessing high artistic value. In the past, the Dachang filigree-inlay craft was passed down mostly from father to son, and later the master-apprentice mode of transmission also appeared. The late master of the meng-zan-shi-xiang technique, Ma Zuowen, once led his disciples in creating filigree-inlay works such as 'The Potala Palace' and 'The Golden Seal of the Twelfth Panchen Lama,' which brought fame for a time. In recent years, under the impact of the market economy, several filigree craft factories have closed down, causing craftspeople to lose confidence and enthusiasm for the traditional craft. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Documented Process Record": Filigree-inlay is a traditional imperial court handicraft that mainly uses materials such as gold and silver, and is made into ornamental objects through processes such as setting gemstones and pearls or weaving. The Dachang filigree-inlay process is complex; the entire production involves many steps—design, material cutting, body making, tracing, line marking, wire making, wire gluing, wire soldering, acid (strong-acid) treatment, washing, stone selection, stone setting, assembly, gilding, and silver plating.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2009, Ma Fuliang was announced in the third batch of national representative bearers for Filigree Inlay Craftsmanship, with Dachanghuizuzizhi, Hebei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Filigree Inlay Craftsmanship in Dachanghuizuzizhi, Hebei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Dachanghuizuzizhi, Hebei as its declared area, and Dachang Hui Autonomous County Liangshengdahuasixiangqianteyi Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Ma Fuliang · National Representative Bearer Archive