Beijing Juanren
01 · Historical Records
The earliest silk-figurine artifact discovered to date is a work from the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty, giving the craft a history of more than 1,000 years. By the Song dynasty, the silk-figurine technique had already begun to take shape on a considerable scale. By the Qing dynasty, silk figurines were essentially already in the form we see today.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Beijing silk figurines are a traditional art of shaping human figures in silk that circulates in the Beijing area, with a history of over one thousand years. Silk figurines were once widely circulated throughout North China, and northern China still preserves today the custom of displaying silk-and-paper figurines of various forms in the colored lanterns of the Lantern Festival. Beijing silk figurines take their subjects from folk tales of successive Chinese dynasties — court ladies, theatrical characters, and ethnic dances — and use silk as their material, handcrafted into three-dimensional artistic human figures. From head to foot and inside out, top-grade silk gauze is used throughout, hence the name “silk figurine” (juanren). Taking advantage of the softness, delicacy, and high extensibility of silk gauze, the artisans pass through more than a dozen finely executed process steps — sculpture, applied gilt and colored painting, garment cutting, sewing, props and backgrounds, and assembly — together with multiple workflows including head pasting, head painting, head combing, hand making, body shaping, and the making of costume and headdress, producing lifelike three-dimensional human figures. Beijing silk figurines are exquisitely made with delicate, refined workmanship; in a single work, several soft-transformation skills of silk modeling are brought together — silk figurines, silk flowers, silk fans, palace lanterns, and the like — giving the pieces a rich traditional style and ethnic character. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, incessant warfare caused the silk-figurine trade to decline day by day, nearly to the point of extinction. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Ge Jing'an, a Beijing master of arts and crafts, consulted the historical records of successive dynasties and restored the silk-figurine craft, enabling this traditional project to continue to be transmitted; it has now reached the third generation.
Archival Record of the Process Steps
Taking advantage of the softness, delicacy, and high extensibility of silk gauze, the artisans pass through more than a dozen finely executed process steps — sculpture, applied gilt and colored painting, garment cutting, sewing, props and backgrounds, and assembly — together with multiple workflows including head pasting, head painting, head combing, hand making, body shaping, and the making of costume and headdress, producing lifelike three-dimensional human figures.
The dozen-odd stages of a silk figure
Built entirely from fine silk from head to foot, a figure passes through sculpting, gilded painting, cutting, sewing, prop making and final assembly.
Head pasting, painting, hairdressing, hand making and body shaping
The specialised stages handling head and limbs: pasting, painting and hairdressing set the face, while hand making and body shaping fix pose and proportion.
The Tang silk figure from the Zhenguan era
The earliest surviving silk figure dates from the Zhenguan era over a thousand years ago; by the Song the craft was established and by the Qing it looked as it does today.
Ge Jing'an and the revival of silk figures
After the craft nearly died out in wartime, the Beijing arts-and-crafts master Ge Jing'an studied historical sources and restored it; three generations have followed.
Silk figures in Lantern Festival displays
Once widespread across north China, silk figures survive in the region's custom of showing painted silk figurines inside Lantern Festival lights.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Beijing silk figurines are transmitted mainly in the Donghuashi area of Dongcheng District, historically sustained through the method of masters taking on apprentices. The artisans exploit the softness, delicacy, and high extensibility of silk gauze, passing through more than a dozen process steps such as sculpture, applied gilt and colored painting, garment cutting, sewing, props and backgrounds, and assembly, together with multiple workflows including head pasting, head painting, head combing, hand making, body shaping, and the making of costume and headdress, to produce lifelike three-dimensional human figures; the works bring together several soft-transformation skills of silk modeling — silk figurines, silk flowers, silk fans, palace lanterns, and the like — in one piece, giving them a strong traditional style and ethnic character.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Beijing Juanhua.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Historically, Beijing silk figurines were transmitted mainly through the method of masters taking on apprentices. As conservation work has continued, the inheritors have actively promoted the transmission and dissemination of the project by setting up studios; going to schools, communities, townships, and enterprises and public institutions to carry out training and publicity; producing videos; and taking part in exhibition activities, achieving good results. Beijing silk figurines are an outstanding representative and an important component of the art of the silk figurine: their subjects are broad and their expressive content varied, and they are exquisite and lifelike. Relying on traditional folk festival activities and rooted in the daily life of the common people, they carry cultural information about the development of costume across successive Chinese dynasties, concentrate the essence of traditional modeling art, and reflect the people's vision of a better life and their outstanding creativity. They have considerable historical, cultural, and aesthetic value and are of positive significance for carrying forward fine traditional Chinese culture and promoting social harmony.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Jin Tieling 03-1291
- Huashulin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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