Li Jizong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Li Jizong, Male, Han, from Xicheng, Beijing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-82). The tradition is documented in Xicheng, Beijing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship in Xicheng, Beijing: The craft of making opera kuitou is one of the techniques within the broader craft of theatrical costume and prop making. It is distributed mainly around large cities in northern and southern China where the atmosphere of traditional opera culture is comparatively strong. In the north, for example, kuitou making in Beijing and in Dingxing, Hebei is dominated by the Li Jizong family, whose history is long and whose command of the craft is relatively comprehensive. The kuitou-making craft developed from the ancient craft of making practical crowns and hats; kuitou, including both soft and hard varieties, are used primarily in operatic performance and are part of the stage wardrobe (xingtou) of such genres as Peking opera, Kunqu, pingju, bangzi, and Sichuan opera. This is inseparable from the fact that, since the Yuan dynasty, Beijing has continuously served as the political, economic, and cultural center of China, fostering a rich atmosphere of traditional opera culture. Representative examples of soft-crown headwear include the luomao (silk cap), zhanmao (felt cap), qiaoliangjin, xuezhejin (scholar's cap), and yuanwaijin (gentleman's cap). These were not only everyday headwear in the past but also common stage props in operatic performance. The hard-crown kuitou (opera helmet), by contrast, evolved from ancient practical military helmets and differs considerably from them in artistic expression. The Qing-dynasty archives of the Shengping Office (Imperial Household Department's troupe bureau) contain numerous records concerning the kuitou workshop.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Li Jizong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship in Xicheng, Beijing. Within the documented technical tradition of Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship in Xicheng, Beijing: The craft of making opera kuitou (helmets) is one of the techniques within the broader craft of theatrical costume and prop making. It is distributed mainly around large cities in northern and southern China where the atmosphere of traditional opera culture is comparatively strong. In the north, for example, kuitou making in Beijing and in Dingxing, Hebei is dominated by the Li Jizong family, whose history is long and whose command of the craft is relatively comprehensive. The kuitou-making craft developed from the ancient craft of making practical crowns and hats. Kuitou, including both soft and hard varieties, are used primarily in operatic performance. They are indispensable stage props required by various traditional operas—such as Peking opera (jingju), Kunqu, pingju, bangzi (clapper opera), Sichuan opera (chuanju), Yue opera, and Jin opera—during stage performance, and they are also made into souvenirs to satisfy the collecting needs of opera enthusiasts. The Li family's opera kuitou craft excels at making soft and hard kuitou in different styles for the various schools of Peking opera, Kunqu, bangzi, and other operas, as well as qiemo (stage props), preserving many ancient techniques and forms. The hard-work techniques include smoking the pattern (xunyang), cutting out the shape (zuhuo), cloisonné wire inlay (qiasi), lining assembly (heli), ironing (yuntang), gluing (shujiao), lacquering (shigi), gilding (tiejin), kingfisher-feather inlay (diandiancui), and finishing (chenghuo). The soft-work techniques include building up the base (dietai), assembly (zuhe), wire pinching (qiaxian), face plaque (mianpai), coiled-dragon roller (gunzilong), black dot (heidian), and meeting-mouth wire (pengkousi). According to historical records, in the Yuan and Ming periods Beijing already had a 'kuitou workshop' (kuitou zuo) and a 'kuitou lane' (kuitou xiang)—workshops and a workshop district specialized in manufacturing kuitou. The Li Jizong Li-family kuitou can be traced back to the late-Qing court craftsman known as the 'palace person' (gongzhong ren). The 'palace person' passed the craft to Li Zhaorui, manager of the Juxinglong kuitou shop, who in turn passed it to his sons Li Zhaolin and Li Hongchang, and then to Li Jizong. Kuitou is one of the carriers of ancient Chinese crown-and-hat culture and opera culture. Its making craft encompasses the complete process flow from soft-crown and hard-crown making, through qiemo (props) and the kui-box (helmet chest) art, to related ancillary trades. It holds considerable value and positive significance for the study of ancient costume systems and operatic stage design, and for promoting ritual-and-music culture and operatic art. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Process Steps": Kuitou is one of the carriers of ancient Chinese crown-and-hat culture and opera culture. Its making craft encompasses the complete process flow from soft-crown and hard-crown making, through qiemo (props) and the kui-box (helmet chest) art, to related ancillary trades. It holds considerable value and positive significance for the study of ancient costume systems and operatic stage design, and for promoting ritual-and-music culture and operatic art.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Kuitou is one of the carriers of ancient Chinese crown-and-hat culture and opera culture. Its making craft encompasses the complete process flow from soft-crown and hard-crown making, through qiemo (props) and the kui-box (helmet chest) art, to related ancillary trades. It holds considerable value and positive significance for the study of ancient costume systems and operatic stage design, and for promoting ritual-and-music culture and operatic art.
Core Technique I
The craft of making opera kuitou (helmets) is one of the techniques within the broader craft of theatrical costume and prop making.
Core Technique II
It is distributed mainly around large cities in northern and southern China where the atmosphere of traditional opera culture is comparatively strong.
Core Technique III
In the north, for example, kuitou making in Beijing and in Dingxing, Hebei is dominated by the Li Jizong family, whose history is long and whose command of the craft is relatively comprehensive.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Li Jizong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship, with Xicheng, Beijing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Juzhuangxiju Making Craftsmanship in Xicheng, Beijing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Xicheng, Beijing as its declared area, and Beijing Zixiamiaochuxiqu Culture 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
This is inseparable from the fact that, since the Yuan dynasty, Beijing has continuously served as the political, economic, and cultural center of China, fostering a rich atmosphere of traditional opera culture. Representative examples of soft-crown headwear include the luomao (silk cap), zhanmao (felt cap), qiaoliangjin, xuezhejin (scholar's cap), and yuanwaijin (gentleman's cap). These were not only everyday headwear in the past but also common stage props in operatic performance. The hard-crown kuitou (opera helmet), by contrast, evolved from ancient practical military helmets and differs considerably from them in artistic expression.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Rongsen | Suzhou, Jiangsu | 01-0194 | Other regional school |
| Sun Ying | Beijingjuzhuangchang | 03-1340 | Other regional school |
| Li Jizong | Xicheng, Beijing | — | This page |
| Zhang Hua | Hedong, Tianjin | — | Other regional school |
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。