Lantern Art
01 · Historical Records
He Keming enjoyed the reputation of 'Lantern King of Jiangnan' and was the founder of three-dimensional animal lanterns.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Shanghai lantern art is a new type of lantern art developed in the urban environment of Shanghai; it inherits the fine techniques of ancient lanterns and develops them rationally, with not only updated materials but also richer varieties. Shanghai-style lanterns fall into four major types: canopy lanterns, trotting-horse lanterns, palace lanterns, and three-dimensional animal lanterns. Among them, the three-dimensional animal lanterns represented by He Keming combine ornamental value, artistry, and decorative quality in one, and constitute the most refined part of Shanghai lantern art. He drew widely on the finest points of northern and southern lanterns and also absorbed Western sculpture art. With an original design sensibility he gradually broke through the prevailing lantern forms, developing an individual style all his own; in making lanterns he used artistic means to give them vivid life, and his thematic choices aimed to suit both refined and popular tastes, often relying on auspicious sayings and the practice of 'asking for a lucky mouth' (tao koucai) to express people's aspiration for a better life. The He-style lanterns use animal forms as their skeletal structure, with lead wire wrapped in creased paper in place of the traditional bamboo strips; the bound lanterns have accurate skeletal structures, exquisite detail, vivid forms, and lifelike poses. With the transformation of the social economy, in the strongly commercial atmosphere of modern Shanghai the traditional lantern craft has lost its space for survival.
The four types of Shanghai lanterns
Shanghai lanterns fall into four types, the three-dimensional animal lanterns being the finest of them.
Lead wire and crepe paper instead of bamboo
The He school builds animal skeletons from lead wire wound with crepe paper instead of bamboo splints, giving accurate and lively forms.
Auspicious puns for every taste
He drew on northern and southern lanterns and Western sculpture, and his designs often rely on auspicious puns for their meaning.
He Weifu's bird and beast lanterns
Born in 1949, He Weifu specialises in bird and beast lanterns, with works such as Three Crows of the Rooster and Dragon Playing with a Pearl.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Shanghai lantern art is a new type of lantern art developed in the urban environment of Shanghai; it is mainly transmitted in the central urban districts, of which the three-dimensional animal lanterns represented by He Keming have had the greatest influence. The Shanghai Arts and Crafts Research Institute and the Dashijie (Great World) Arts Transmission Center of Shanghai have successively served as bases for its teaching and display. Shanghai-style lanterns fall into four major types: canopy lanterns, trotting-horse lanterns, palace lanterns, and three-dimensional animal lanterns. Aimed at the urban market, their forms tend to be small and exquisite, convenient for display and carrying.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
With insufficient funds, the inheritors of Shanghai-style lanterns cannot afford to make masterpieces or large works; they can only make small tourist souvenirs to make a living. Combined with a shortage of successors, the traditional lantern craft is hard to continue developing and transmitting. Shanghai-style lanterns, represented by He Keming's lanterns, are already in an endangered state and urgently need assistance from the relevant authorities to help them revive. He Weifu (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in October 1949, from Shanghai. Arts-and-crafts artist. In 1983 he created a number of works including Cock Crowning Three Times, Roc Spreading Its Wings, and Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water; that same year he entered the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Research Institute, where he specialized in lanterns throughout his career. He has received the true transmission of the He-style lantern craft; his work is exquisite and lifelike, and he excels at making three-dimensional animal lanterns of birds and beasts. The colored lanterns he makes emphasize vivid forms, with careful attention to proportion and structure; they can be said to unite form and spirit. His representative works include Golden Dragon Playing with a Pearl, Egrets and Glory, A Room Full of Gold and Jade, Kylin Lantern, Golden Cock Announcing the Dawn, and Long Live the Motherland (Pine and Crane Prolonging Life). Representative inheritor of Lanterns (Shanghai Lanterns), a third national-level intangible cultural heritage project.
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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