Mubanshuiyinjiyi
01 · Historical Records
At the beginning of the 1950s, Zhang Yangxi, director of the printmaking department at the East China Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, took notice of the Shizhuzhai woodblock water-printing. Thereafter, Zhang Yuzhong, Xia Ziyi, Zhang Genyuan, and Chen Pinchao re-carved masterworks such as the 'Shizhuzhai Seal Catalogue' (Shizhuzhai yinpu), Ren Bonian's 'Plum-Blossom Inquiry' (Tanmei tu), and Pan Tianshou's 'Yandang Mountain Flowers' (Yandang shanhua); their water-printing earned the praise of being 'one grade below the original' (xia zhenji yideng).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Woodblock water-printing is a uniquely Chinese craft for reproducing calligraphy and painting that integrates painting, carving, and printing; it uses wood as the printing block and water-soluble materials as pigments, and reveals the brushwork and ink rhythm according to the principle of ink-and-water permeation. The Xiacheng District of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, is one of the principal areas where this craft has been transmitted. The Hangzhou Shizhuzhai woodblock water-printing is a precious heritage in the history of ancient Chinese technological production and, at the same time, an important component of the world history of color printing. The craftsmanship of woodblock water-printing is special: one must read and interpret the original work and, based on that interpretation, separate it into printing blocks; the graphics of the different block runs are traced onto yanpi paper, which is then pasted face-down onto the woodblock surface, and the carving artisan carves it into a left-right reversed relief according to the characters or image. During printing, ink is first brushed onto the block surface, the paper is then laid over the block, and a clean brush is used to apply even pressure; once the paper is lifted, the text and image on the block are clearly transferred onto the paper, completing one printing pass. The distinctive feature of woodblock water-printing lies in the block-carving and water-printing stages. Before use, the block must be carefully and finely planed, then polished with fine sandpaper or 'mushucao' (a polishing grass), after which come the steps of 'mounting on the block' (shangban), 'grounding' (qidi), and 'proofing' (dayang). The 'Shizhuzhai' (Ten Bamboo Studio) founded by Hu Zhengyan at the end of the Ming dynasty applied the color-overprinting techniques of 'douban' (separate-block color printing) and 'gonghua' (embossing) in works such as the 'Shizhuzhai Painting Manual' and the 'Shizhuzhai Letter-Paper Manual,' which scholars and experts at home and abroad regard as 'divine craftsmanship.' Hangzhou's modern color water-print woodcuts developed precisely on the basis of inheriting China's traditional art. Woodblock water-printing has a long and distant history, unique techniques, exquisite carving, and far-reaching influence; in its later development it combined with printmaking, enriching the artistic connotations of block printing.
Archival Record of Craft Procedures
The distinctive feature of woodblock water-printing lies in the block-carving and water-printing stages. Before use, the block must be carefully and finely planed, then polished with fine sandpaper or 'mushucao' (a polishing grass), after which come the steps of 'mounting on the block' (shangban), 'grounding' (qidi), and 'proofing' (dayang).
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Woodblock water-printing is a uniquely Chinese craft for reproducing calligraphy and painting that integrates painting, carving, and printing; it uses wood as the printing block and water-soluble materials as pigments, and reveals the brushwork and ink rhythm according to the principle of ink-and-water permeation. The Xiacheng District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is one of the principal areas where this craft has been transmitted; the Shizhuzhai woodblock water-printing is a precious heritage in the history of ancient Chinese technological production and, at the same time, an important component of the world history of color printing. Hangzhou's block-carvers and printers have for generations lived around Xiling and Liulichang, and together with Huzhou block carving and the Yangzhou Guangling Printing Society they form the important centers of Jiangnan block printing.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Mubanshuiyinjiyi · Mubanshuiyinjiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At the beginning of the 20th century, this craft faced extinction; Lu Xun, Zheng Zhenduo, and others were the first to propose protecting the 'Shizhuzhai woodblock water-printing' craft. This craft integrates multiple skills such as painting, carving, and printing; it carries profound historical and cultural depth, brings refined art to the public, and possesses extremely high artistic and social value. Wei Lizhong (per the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born June 1968, from Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province. A representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the woodblock water-printing craft, a national intangible cultural heritage project. Woodblock water-printing artisan. In 1990 he entered the water-printing factory of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Chen Pinchao and Zhang Gengyuan, systematically learning the woodblock water-printing craft; his skills are comprehensive and his mastery profound. Over the long term he has conducted research and investigation into traditional craftsmanship and collected related documents and artifacts. In 2001 he comprehensively revived the nearly lost Shizhuzhai woodblock water-printing craft, founded the Hangzhou Shizhuzhai Art Museum and served concurrently as its director, restored and created several fine woodblock water-printing works, took on apprentices to teach the craft, and promoted the entry of woodblock water-printing into schools. In recent years he has held exhibitions at the National Art Museum of China, the National Library of China, the Zhejiang Art Museum, the Art Museum of the China Academy of Art, the Art Museum of Sichuan University, and other venues, and has presented woodblock water-printing demonstrations, shows, and lectures at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland; the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France; the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet in France; the British Library and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; Nottingham Trent University; the Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts; the Asia House Gallery in the United Kingdom; the Huntington Library in Los Angeles, USA; and the China Cultural Centers in Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France—thereby disseminating China's woodblock water-printing craft. The 'Collected Documents of Shizhuzhai' that he edited has been collected by the National Library of China.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chongdefu 01-0189
- Wang Liju 01-0190
- Gao Wenying 03-1336
- Jiang Min 03-1337
- Xiao Gang 04-1862
- Wei Lizhong 05-2773
- Zheng Mingchuan
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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