Zheng Jianqin
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zheng Jianqin, Female, Han, from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Ousu (Ⅶ-85). The tradition is documented in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ousu in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Ousu has been handed down in the Wenzhou area over many years and has developed distinct regional characteristics. Its rich colouring and strong expressive and adhesive qualities have made it a widely applied means of decoration, much favoured by the local people. Ousu is centred on the urban area of Wenzhou, with artisans also distributed in Rui'an, Pingyang and Cangnan. Its works are used mostly for the lintels, hanging screens and wall decorations of temples, ancestral halls and dwellings, and can also be seen on dowry trunks and cabinets. In modern times Wenzhou artisans have replaced the traditional pile-lacquer motifs with pictorial subjects such as mountains-and-water, figures, flowers and birds, adding layers of distant mountains and near-by trees, so that Ousu has expanded from architectural decoration into the field of large-scale murals. Ousu is a traditional plastic art handed down in the Wenzhou area of Zhejiang Province. It developed out of the pile-lacquer technique of China's traditional lacquer art, and takes its name from its origin in the Oujiang River valley in southern Zhejiang. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, pile lacquer developed considerably in Wenzhou, giving rise to three Ousu craft varieties: "yinqi cuojin" (raised relief with gold applied), "yinqi cuoqi" (raised relief with coloured lacquer) and "yinqi cuoyou" (raised relief with coloured oil) — specifically, applying gold, coloured lacquer or coloured oil on the basis of the piled lacquer.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zheng Jianqin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Ousu in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Ousu in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: During the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, Wenzhou was a major centre of traditional lacquer art. The pile-lacquer technique, in which patterns are built up with lacquer ash, was quite popular in the region and was commonly known among the people as "duiqimen" (the piled-up school); it was widely used in the decoration of temples, dwellings, furniture and dowries. In modern times the folk artisans of Wenzhou have made many improvements in technique and materials, and the expressive power of Ousu has thereby been further strengthened. Ousu works in an oil clay made by pounding together tung oil, white powder, pigments and other ingredients; its hardness can be adjusted and it does not easily dry and crack, so it can be piled up, carved and reworked repeatedly and preserved for a long time. On a prepared ground board the artisan first piles up the general form in oil clay, then adds layer upon layer and carves the details, and finally applies colour or gilding. The finished piece lies between low relief and high relief, and both to the touch and to the eye it closely resembles lacquer work. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Gold, lacquer and oil raised work": By Ming-Qing times Wenzhou raised work had split into three types — gilded, lacquered and oiled — all built on piled lacquer. "The oil-clay material": Its special medium is pounded from tung oil, whiting and pigment, adjustable in hardness and neither drying nor cracking. "Duiqi men": In the Song period Wenzhou was a lacquer centre where raised paste ornament, known locally as duiqi men, covered temples, houses and dowry chests. "Large landscape panels": Richly coloured and firmly adhering, the medium has been extended to large wall panels of landscape, architecture and figures.
Gold, lacquer and oil raised work
By Ming-Qing times Wenzhou raised work had split into three types — gilded, lacquered and oiled — all built on piled lacquer.
The oil-clay material
Its special medium is pounded from tung oil, whiting and pigment, adjustable in hardness and neither drying nor cracking.
Duiqi men
In the Song period Wenzhou was a lacquer centre where raised paste ornament, known locally as duiqi men, covered temples, houses and dowry chests.
Large landscape panels
Richly coloured and firmly adhering, the medium has been extended to large wall panels of landscape, architecture and figures.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zheng Jianqin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Ousu, with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Ousu in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Zhejiang Yun YiZhuangShi 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
Historical origin
Ousu is a traditional plastic art handed down in the Wenzhou area of Zhejiang Province. It developed out of the pile-lacquer technique of China's traditional lacquer art, and takes its name from its origin in the Oujiang River valley in southern Zhejiang. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, pile lacquer developed considerably in Wenzhou, giving rise to three Ousu craft varieties: "yinqi cuojin" (raised relief with gold applied), "yinqi cuoqi" (raised relief with coloured lacquer) and "yinqi cuoyou" (raised relief with coloured oil) — specifically, applying gold, coloured lacquer or coloured oil on the basis of the piled lacquer.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhou Jinyun | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | 03-1295 | Same declared area |
| Zheng Jianqin | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。