Mai Chiying

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Mai Chiying, Male, Han, from Zhongshan, Guangdong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xiaolanju Flower Fair (Ⅹ-44). The tradition is documented in Zhongshan, Guangdong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiaolanju Flower Fair in Zhongshan, Guangdong: The skeleton of the Xiaolan Chrysanthemum Fair is the family clan. This important town in the middle of the Pearl River Delta has had families cultivating chrysanthemums since the Southern Song; after the Ming Dynasty the art of chrysanthemum cultivation gradually flourished, and cultivation shifted from ground planting to shaped potted plants, giving each family bonsai worth comparing. By the end of the 18th century, different family clans in the same town had joined hands twice in succession to hold fairs, gathering the chrysanthemum art of each family in one place to be judged for excellence — this was what the locals called the "Ju Examination" (chrysanthemum contest), and also the embryo of the later chrysanthemum fair. Thereafter the town set the rhythm of the fairs on a sixty-year sexagenary cycle, and in the early 19th century the local gentry agreed that a grand fair must be held in every Jiaxu year; three such fairs were held during the Republic of China period, and the Jiaxu Chrysanthemum Fair held jointly by the villages in 1994 reconnected the old practice that had been interrupted for many years. Although today's fair banners, villages, and artists have been replaced by new generations, they still belong to different clan lines; the small chrysanthemum fairs organized by each village — one every year or every one or two years — compete over the quality of that year's chrysanthemum work. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Xiaolan began to cultivate chrysanthemums. By the Ming Dynasty, the art of chrysanthemum cultivation was already flourishing in Xiaolan, and chrysanthemum cultivation had transitioned to shaped potted plants. In 1782 and 1791, the major family clans successively held two large chrysanthemum fairs jointly. In the Jiaxu year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1814), a large chrysanthemum fair was held again, and the local gentry agreed that, in memory of the ancestors who settled in the Jiaxu year of the Xianchun reign of the Southern Song, a grand fair would be held in every Jiaxu year thereafter. By 1934, a total of three grand chrysanthemum fairs had been held. In 1994, to carry on the tradition, the villages jointly held the Jiaxu Chrysanthemum Fair.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Mai Chiying is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xiaolanju Flower Fair in Zhongshan, Guangdong. Within the documented technical tradition of Xiaolanju Flower Fair in Zhongshan, Guangdong: Xiaolan Town is located in the middle of the Pearl River Delta and is an important town of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. The people of Xiaolan are skilled at growing potted chrysanthemums, with exquisite craftsmanship. Historically, whenever the chrysanthemums were in full bloom, the various families would display their chrysanthemum art together and compete for excellence, called the "Ju Examination" (chrysanthemum contest), which later developed into the chrysanthemum fair. The fair lasts from several days to more than ten days, and its activities mainly include appreciating chrysanthemums, competing with chrysanthemums, chanting about chrysanthemums, painting chrysanthemums, tasting chrysanthemums, waterborne "miaose" (floating tableaux), and chrysanthemum opera. The Xiaolan Chrysanthemum Fair uses flowers as a medium and chrysanthemums as a way to meet friends; with exquisite craftsmanship and grand scale, it constitutes a distinctive comprehensive folk flower festival. Between the grand fairs, small chrysanthemum fairs are held every year or every few years. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "From chrysanthemum trial to full flower fair": Families once set their potted chrysanthemums side by side to be judged at a local trial; the practice grew into a village fair lasting days. "The sixty-year Jiaxu cycle of fairs": Elders fixed a grand fair for every Jiaxu year, agreed in the Jiaqing reign, revived jointly by all villages in 1994. "Viewing, judging, chanting and painting": Viewing and judging went side by side with chanting and painting, turning the blossoms into words and paper. "Floating tableaux and chrysanthemum opera": Floating tableaux and small-scale chrysanthemum opera enlivened the quiet potted blooms with water-borne and staged spectacle.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Mai Chiying was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xiaolanju Flower Fair, with Zhongshan, Guangdong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xiaolanju Flower Fair in Zhongshan, Guangdong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Zhongshan, Guangdong as its declared area, and Zhongshan Xiaolanjuhua Culture Cujin Association 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. Maichiying (Zhongshan, Guangdong) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Maichiying · China ICH Official Archive