He Man

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He Man, Male, Han, from Huangzhong, Qinghai, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Yintongqizhizuojiliujinjiyi (Ⅷ-196). The tradition is documented in Huangzhong, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yintongqizhizuojiliujinjiyi in Huangzhong, Qinghai: Within Huangzhong County, processing workshops are densely distributed; there are more than thirty just on the silver-ware line, and even more copper-ware workshops, exceeding forty. Among the masters, He Shengshou is a provincial first-grade arts and crafts master, Quan Fafu and Li Zhanbang are Qinghai Province third-grade arts and crafts masters, and there are also He Man and He Yun, among others. He Man began learning the craft from his father at the age of 16, inheriting both the family's vessel-making methods and gilding. The silver-and-copper ware processing industry in the Huangzhong area was introduced just over a hundred years ago, yet it quickly took root in response to the needs of agricultural-pastoral areas and monasteries. The craftsmanship here has long relied on family workshops, passed from father to son and son to grandson, with small shops and quick turnover; silver and copper ware are separate arts—silver ware follows the path of thin form and bright luster, while copper ware follows the path of complex patterns.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in April 1965 in Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province. He is a national representative bearer of Silver and Copper Ware Making and Gilding Craftsmanship, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He is a first-class folk craftsman of Qinghai Province. From the age of 16 he followed his father in studying and researching silver and copper ware making and gilding. In long years of artistic practice he has innovated boldly, absorbing the strengths of various traditions, especially ethnic artistic elements, and has gradually formed a distinctive personal style, becoming the most representative figure in the silver and copper ware making and gilding craft of Huangzhong, Qinghai. His works have been collected by the National Museum of China, the China National Arts and Crafts Museum and the Qinghai Provincial Museum, among other institutions. Within the documented technical tradition of Yintongqizhizuojiliujinjiyi in Huangzhong, Qinghai: The Huangzhong silver-and-copper ware processing craft has a long history of over a hundred years; it can be divided into two processing crafts: silver ware and copper ware. The silver-ware processing craft has long been known for characteristics such as thin form, bright luster, lightness, and purity, excels at exquisite workmanship, and is deeply loved by people of all ethnic groups. Influenced by Buddhist culture, artisans often use the "Eight Auspicious Emblems" (precious umbrella, golden fish, treasure vase, victory banner, Dharma wheel, auspicious knot, right-spiraling conch, and lotus) as well as mandalas, garuda birds, dragons, phoenixes, lions, mythical beasts, auspicious clouds, and precious flames as decorative patterns. There are more than thirty processing workshops in the county, with representative artisans including He Shengshou (provincial first-grade arts and crafts master), He Man, and He Yun. The copper-ware processing craft is superb, with complex patterns, lifelike shapes, and outstanding techniques of expression. The main process is: cutting stock—welding—hammering—filling with glue—composing the design—polishing. The production mode of Huangzhong silver-and-copper ware is mainly based on family workshops, with sons succeeding their fathers' trades, passed down from generation to generation. Its representative artisans include Quan Fafu and Li Zhanbang, both Qinghai Province third-grade arts and crafts masters, with more than forty workshops. Gilding is also a metal-processing craft, also called "coating with gold," "gold plating," or "flowing gold"; it is a technique of applying a gold-mercury amalgam made by combining gold and mercury to the surface of silver or copper ware, then heating to evaporate the mercury so that the gold firmly adheres to the surface of the silver or copper ware without falling off. Its process steps are: killing the gold, applying the gold, opening the gold, and pressing to shine. The gilding technique for silver-and-copper ware is generally a family-secret technique, kept confidential. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Six stages of copper working": Cutting, welding, raising, glue-filling, composing and polishing follow one another; raising and gluing fix the wall, composing and polishing fix the pattern and the shine. "Four stages of gilding": Four stages prepare the gold, lay it on, open the colour and burnish it; without all four the gilding lies uneven. "Applying and firing the gold amalgam": Gold amalgam is spread over silver or copper and heated until the mercury evaporates, leaving the gold firmly attached. "The eight auspicious emblems": Under Buddhist influence the vessels carry the eight auspicious emblems together with lotuses, dragons, phoenixes, lions, clouds and flames.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

His works have won gold and silver prizes at numerous exhibitions in China and abroad. He was awarded the third Xinchuan Award for Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Bearers by the Chinese Academy of Arts (China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Centre). In June 2018 he was granted the title of advanced individual in national intangible cultural heritage protection work by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

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. He Man · National Representative Bearer Archive