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Lantern Art

Ⅶ-50Traditional Fine ArtsKaifeng, HenanBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Artists of the Zhang surname in Kaifeng, Henan, are renowned for binding and pasting festival lanterns; according to the Kaifeng County Gazetteer, Zhang Taiquan of the late Qing period first created the 'Bianjing lantern', and the craft has been transmitted for six generations to the present. Kaifeng lantern art has a long history; after the Northern Song established its capital at Kaifeng, the viewing of lanterns at the Lantern Festival reached unprecedented splendor, and the varieties of festival lanterns and lantern art are recorded concretely and in detail in Meng Yuanlao's Dongjing Menghua Lu (Dreaming of Huaqing in the Eastern Capital) of the Song dynasty. The Zhang family colored lanterns of Bianjing Lantern Zhang, in their forms and binding-and-pasting technique, derive from the folk colored-lantern making tradition of Kaifeng; their principal varieties - the Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness Lantern, the Lotus and Noble Son Lantern, the Peony Wealth and Honor Lantern, and the Auspicious Radiance Lantern - all embody the traditional cultural connotation of praying for good fortune.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Viewing lanterns at the Lantern Festival is an important New Year custom, and for this reason the binding of festival lanterns has become a special folk craft with a folk character. In modern times, for various reasons, the activity of viewing lanterns at the Lantern Festival has gradually declined. Especially during the 'Cultural Revolution', when the Lantern Festival and festival lanterns were classified among the 'Four Olds' and wantonly destroyed, the craft of binding festival lanterns was brought to the verge of extinction.

Dragon-and-phoenix and Lotus lanterns

Its main types are the Dragon and Phoenix, Lotus Brings a Son, Peony Prosperity and Auspicious Light lanterns, all carrying good wishes.

Lantern types in the Dongjing Menghua Lu

After the Northern Song made Kaifeng its capital the Lantern Festival flourished, and the lantern types are recorded in detail in Meng Yuanlao's Dongjing Menghua Lu.

Zhang Taiquan and six generations

According to the Kaifeng county gazetteer Zhang Taiquan created the Kaifeng lantern in the late Qing; the family trade is now in its sixth generation.

Exhibition hall and training workshop

Since 2010 Zhang Juntao has rebuilt the family's lantern exhibition hall and set up a training workshop to spread the craft systematically.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Bianjing Lantern Zhang originated in Kaifeng, Henan. The Zhang family is known for binding and pasting festival lanterns; after Zhang Taiquan of the late Qing period first created the 'Bianjing lantern', the craft has been transmitted within the family for six generations to the present. Its making and teaching activities are concentrated in the urban district of Kaifeng and are carried out in reliance on the Bianjing Lantern Zhang Colored Lantern Exhibition Hall and the Colored Lantern Craft School. The forms and binding-and-pasting technique of the Zhang colored lanterns derive from the folk colored-lantern making tradition of Kaifeng, and the works are mostly used for viewing lanterns at the Lantern Festival and at New Year and festive occasions.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present the social basis on which the Zhang colored lanterns depend for survival and development has changed; with the continuous advance of science and technology and the fading of traditional folk customs, the handmade craft of binding Bianjing lanterns has been much neglected, successors are lacking, and certain unique skills have already been lost. The prospects for the Zhang family lantern craft of Kaifeng are not optimistic; actively carrying out rescue and conservation work has become a matter of urgent priority. Zhang Juntao (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in September 1971, from Kaifeng City, Henan Province. Born into a colored-lantern making family, he learned the technique of colored lantern making from his father Zhang Jinhan starting in 1979, and began work on the research and conservation of traditional colored lanterns in 1992. Since 2010 he has devoted himself fully to the transmission and conservation of Bianjing Lantern Zhang colored lanterns, rebuilding the Bianjing Lantern Zhang Colored Lantern Exhibition Hall, establishing the Bianjing Lantern Zhang Colored Lantern Craft School, and systematically promoting the Bianjing Lantern Zhang making technique. While upholding the traditional lantern-making craft, he continually excavates and innovates, improving the traditional light source, and pays attention to the close integration of lantern themes with their historical and cultural background, forming his own distinctive style. He carries out the transmission of the craft systematically at multiple levels, actively participates in public welfare activities, and expands the social influence of Bianjing Lantern Zhang. Representative inheritor of Lanterns (Bianjing Lantern Zhang), a fifth national-level intangible cultural heritage project.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Lantern Art (Kaifeng, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
  2. Zhang Juntao · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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