Lantern Art
01 · Historical Records
As early as the Qianfu era (874-879) of Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty, Xiashi lanterns were already renowned throughout the Jiangnan region, and in the Southern Song they were listed as tribute articles for the imperial court. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, Xiashi saw the grand spectacles of performance lanterns (yandeng), procession lanterns (shundeng), and contest lanterns (doudeng); lantern festivals such as the 'Pagoda Lantern' of Xiadong Street, the 'Soaring Pavilion' at Henggang Bridge, and the 'Plum Pavilion' of Hengtou appeared in endless succession. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the making and parading of lanterns flourished among the people of Xiashi, with considerable breakthroughs in craftsmanship and form; new varieties such as the 'Dragon Boat' and 'Lotus-picking Boat' lanterns appeared.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xiashi lanterns are mainly transmitted in Xiashi Town, Haining City, Zhejiang Province. Xiashi lanterns are famous for their needle-pricked designs; the finished works are finely made and splendid, delicately wrought and translucent. The lantern body uses xuan paper, bamboo strips, and lead wire as its principal materials, and involves eight major techniques: painting, bending, carving, binding, needle-pricking, mounting, pasting, and tying. Once lit from within, the lantern projects a lifelike, vivid three-dimensional picture. The current principal inheritor of the Xiashi lantern-making craft is Hu Jinlong.
The eight techniques of Xieshi lanterns
Made of xuan paper, bamboo splints and lead wire, it requires eight skills: painting, bending, carving, tying, needle-pricking, mounting, pasting and knotting.
Picture revealed by the light
Needle-pricking is its signature skill: light passes through the pierced holes and forms a lifelike, translucent picture.
The five lantern types
Finished lanterns fall into five types: pedestal, hand-held, wall, hanging and gift lanterns; Chen Weiyan added the teapot lantern in 1997.
The Pizi Pavilion and Ziwei Tower lanterns
Hu Jinlong learned the eight techniques from Sun Weijun in 1980; his Pizi Pavilion and Ziwei Tower lanterns won prizes at national folk craft fairs.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Xiashi lanterns are popular with Xiashi Town, Haining City, as their center. As early as the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, the locality already distinguished performance lanterns (yandeng), procession lanterns (shundeng), and contest lanterns (doudeng): performance lanterns displayed their artistry in the street, procession lanterns were lit in sequence following the order of the lanes and alleys, and contest lanterns saw the various wards and shops vie for supremacy; lantern festivals such as the 'Pagoda Lantern' of Xiadong Street, the 'Soaring Pavilion' at Henggang Bridge, and the 'Plum Pavilion' of Hengtou appeared in endless succession. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the making and parading of lanterns among the people of Xiashi grew still more popular. Lantern craftsmen each specialized in particular lantern types, and new designs such as the 'Dragon Boat' and 'Lotus-picking Boat' emerged; lanterns thus expanded from seasonal hangings to crafts kept on display year-round.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Building on its traditional craft, Xiashi lanterns have been continually improved and innovated, forming five major varieties: table lanterns, handheld lanterns, wall lanterns, hanging lanterns, and gift lanterns, further enhancing their ornamental and collectible value. For various reasons, most apprentices of the lantern craft have now abandoned the art, and the distinctive, exquisite lantern-making techniques are on the verge of being lost, urgently requiring rescue and protection. Chen Weiyan (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): In 1940, Chen Weiyan first came into contact with lantern art and received guidance from Sun Weijun; he has since become one of the principal representatives of modern and contemporary Xiashi lanterns. Drawing widely on the strengths of others, Chen Weiyan frequently discussed and exchanged skills with lantern artists of his time; after decades of refinement, he deeply mastered the eight traditional Xiashi lantern techniques: painting, bending, binding, tying, carving, mounting, needle-pricking, and pasting. In 1997, building on the traditional craft while pioneering innovation, Chen combined teapots with lanterns to create a new variety of Xiashi lantern - the teapot lantern - creatively fusing lantern culture with tea culture. Male, Han ethnicity, born in 1922, died in 2010, from Haining, Zhejiang. Representative inheritor of Lanterns (Xiashi Lanterns), a first national-level intangible cultural heritage project. Hu Jinlong (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in January 1953, from Haining City, Zhejiang Province. Arts-and-crafts artist and master of arts and crafts of Zhejiang Province. In 1980 he studied Xiashi lantern making under Mr. Sun Weijun, comprehensively mastering the eight traditional techniques of needle-pricking, bending, tying, binding, carving, pasting, mounting, and painting. In 1982 he organized an amateur lantern group within the trade union of the Haining Cement Factory. In 1992 he participated in founding the Haining Xiashi Lantern Craft Cooperative, serving as its director and chief technical officer. Representative inheritor of Lanterns (Xiashi Lanterns), a fifth national-level intangible cultural heritage project. In 1998 he was engaged as a part-time teacher at Haining Vocational High School and has repeatedly helped run professional training courses in Xiashi lanterns, carrying out conservation and transmission activities. His works have been exhibited and won prizes on many occasions; among them, the Pinzi Pavilion Lantern and the Ziwei Pavilion Lantern won awards at the China Folk Arts and Crafts Exposition held by the China Folk Literature and Art Association.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Li Xiangman 01-0114
- Chen Weiyan 01-0115
- Li Zhuqin 01-0116
- Cai Binghan 01-0117
- Yang Zenggui 01-0118
- Zhang Jinpei 03-1260
- He Weifu 03-1261
- Chen Baihua 03-1262
- Deng Hui 03-1263
- Lin Hanbin 03-1264
- Yang Yurong 04-1793
- Ma Yuanliang 05-2631
- Wang Xiaowen 05-2632
- Wang Rulan 05-2633
- Hu Jinlong 05-2634
- Lin Shunkui 05-2635
- Xu Qianshen 05-2636
- Zhang Juntao 05-2637
- Zhang Shuqi 05-2638
- Liu Yaosheng 05-2639
- Li Banghua
- Chen Dizhen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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