Cuojinyin
01 · Historical Records
While studying at the Beijing Jade Carving Factory in 1972, he explored and inherited the gold-and-silver inlay technique through close study of the works of Mr Pan Bingheng.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In the jade industry the gold-and-silver inlay technique is commonly known as the "wire-pressing process" (yasi). It is a traditional handicraft in which grooves are cut in jade objects, lines of gold, platinum and silver are inlaid in the surface and combined into various plant motifs, and natural gemstones such as rubies and sapphires are set in. In China it is found mainly in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and in Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian and elsewhere. The Xinjiang technique uses white jade, blue-white jade, green jade (biyu), black jade (moyu) and crystal as its raw materials. Its combinations are quite distinctive: white jade and blue-white jade are inlaid with gold wires and set with natural rubies and sapphires; green jade and black jade are inlaid with silver wires and set with turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli. White jade and blue-white jade have light body tones; set with brilliant red and blue gemstones and with gold wires and sheets, they appear all the more magnificent and elegant. The warm, moist lustre of the jade and the dazzling metallic sheen of gold and silver set each other off in splendour. Green jade and black jade have dark body tones; set with silver wires and opaque gemstones, they appear all the more steady and dignified. Silver-white ornament inlaid on green or black vessels forms a strong colour contrast, like stars in the night sky, especially dazzling. The ornament on the objects consists mostly of passionflower (xifanlian) motifs, scrolling grass patterns and geometric designs; the vessel forms too are mostly in the ethnic style of the Western Regions. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the veteran artist Pan Bingheng researched the gold-and-silver inlay technique and produced a small number of works. Ma Jingui, a Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts, entered the Xinjiang Jade Carving Factory to work in 1964. The Xinjiang gold-and-silver inlaid jade objects made by Ma Jingui retain the style of Western Regions jade carving; the ornament on the objects consists mostly of passionflower, scrolling grass and geometric patterns. Through dots and lines he shapes exquisite patterns, thereby revealing the artistic spirit of his works. He constantly innovated in form, being the first to use the gold-and-silver inlay technique on jade-carving subjects such as Buddhist ritual objects and scholar's-desk treasures, and he also applied it to many other jade-carving themes. Traditional jade carving emphasises colour; jade objects made of Hetian (Khotan) jade display the inherent colours of the material.
The trade name: yasi gongyi
Known in the trade as the wire-press technique, it cuts grooves into jade and presses in gold, platinum or silver lines and coloured stones.
Gold on pale jade, silver on dark
Pale jade takes gold and rubies, dark jade silver and opaque stones; the metal's brightness answers the stone's depth either way.
From lively line to lively form
By matching form to colour the technique unifies metal and stone, and its value lies as much in the life of the line as in the bearing of the form.
Ma Jingui and his disciples
Ma Jingui took up the technique in the Beijing jade factory in 1972 by studying Pan Bingheng's work, and his disciples now carry it on in the Tianshan region.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In the jade industry the technique is commonly known as the "wire-pressing process" (yasi); in China it is found mainly in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and in Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian and elsewhere. The Xinjiang technique uses white jade, blue-white jade, green jade, black jade and crystal as raw materials: white jade and blue-white jade are inlaid with gold wires and set with rubies and sapphires, while green jade and black jade are inlaid with silver wires and set with turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli. The warm, moist lustre of the jade and the dazzling metallic sheen of gold and silver set each other off, while silver-wire ornament on dark vessels appears all the more steady and dignified.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Cuojinyin.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
From the vividness of the lines to the bearing of the forms, the overall value of the art of gold-and-silver inlay is constituted. At present, Ma Jingui's disciples are working hard to carry the technique forward. The Xinjiang gold-and-silver inlay technique makes rational use of vessel forms and material colours, merging metallic and gemstone colours into one, so that the objects achieve a magnificent artistic effect and the works appear all the more dignified and opulent, expressing the ethnic style and the craftsman's spirit of striving for perfection and constant innovation, with high artistic, aesthetic and socio-cultural value.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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