Lingnan special craft survives

Thousands of dollars to tens of thousands of yuan can buy a very good piece of jade carving in the south. At the beginning of this year, there were experts who believed that it was necessary to “purchase the bottom” to choose the southern jade carving, tooth carving and other varieties that have been underestimated. Over the past decade or so, affected by the environment and mechanisms, Lingnan's craft culture has been relatively lost, and its status in the country is now worse than before. In contrast, Jiangxi Jingdezhen ceramics, enamels, and kilns are produced in the Mainland, but they have grown in Guangdong, especially in the Guangzhou market. At present, the most highly-articulated and low-priced artworks include Lingnan jade carvings. The materials include Xinyi of Guangdong and Saitama of Liaoning. The features of these jades are translucent and jadey, and they also have certain Toughness, suitable for Lingnan jade carving hollow carving process. “The value of Lingnan jade carvings is reflected in the unique craftsmanship rather than the material.” In recent years, collectors have been advocating the old jade carvings of Lingnan, especially the “produced products” of the former jade carving factory in the south, among which were many masterpieces of the arts and crafts of the time. .

Dilemma:

Luo Yuzhong, general manager of the Lingnan specialty craftsmanship, said: “We all say that the art market rarely mentions 'Southern craft', but the South faction was once brilliant, but unfortunately there was no such awareness at that time. We have done a good job in branding and awareness. There are many artisans and masters in the Southern School, but the most representative works are not well known to Tibetans at home."

The mainstream of the mass market has become an accessory. Will the degree of acceptance of ornaments be lower and lower? Luo Yuzhong believes that in the Chinese culture, jade has the effect of maintaining the security of the town house. Therefore, many people still attach great importance to it. In terms of home furnishings, they also hope to demonstrate their personal culture and taste by starting with some high-end products on the high-end atmosphere. “Undoubtedly, the preferences of ordinary people in recent years have turned to jadeite, and its raw material prices have also risen dramatically. Compared with this kind of one-sided pursuit of material complexes, the old southern jade sculptures are often referred to as “low-grade jade”, such as jade. Xinyi is the raw material and 'heavy industry is not heavy', and there is room for appreciation in the future. I feel that with the improvement of taste and deeper understanding, most people will shift from obsessive materials to approved crafts, because the latter has more artistic value. And originality, not hoarding. Of course, from the overall point of view, there are people in the collectibles market who are heavy, some are heavy workers, and they are different schools. Each has its advantages.” In this regard, Zhang Yongtong believes that it is As the original quality of the main raw materials is drying up, more new materials will be used in jade carvings to “rescue” the traditional craftsmanship by expanding market demand: “At first, we all labored with humans. Now we have advanced motors, lasers, and other advanced technologies. Technology can enable the masters to be more handy and create more quality products. In fact, the concept of Southern Jade has always been heritage and innovation."

Outlook: Unique Crafts Market Will Not Disappear Yin Zhiqiang, a senior craftsman who once worked in the Southern Jade Carving Factory and later set up his own studio, said during the interview: “The price of Nanpai is much cheaper than other jade carvings but it has unique features. In particular, this old thing bears a marked era mark, and it is not at the same level as many of the new works of today. There are also many collectors who are fond of them because of nostalgia.

If the market is difficult to develop, will the Southern School process be lost? Yin Zhiqiang believes that any arts and crafts products have different style characteristics of different times and regions. “Now, information is well developed and it is like a ready-made garment that penetrates into each other. Sometimes a new shape comes out. Local merchants and craftsmen imitate each other and become ignorant. So even though the road is hard to get away, the southern school jade carving also advocates walking its own way. Road, the characteristics of the high degree of difficulty, I hope more people to inherit it.” At the same time, he frankly said that if there is no state-owned factory support, the pressure on the survival of the personal studio is also very large, the two are not entirely competitive Relationship: “Individuals cannot have enough energy to research, protect and innovate. Some jobs require the 'public' to promote. Individuals sometimes meet the market demand. There is a meal to continue to create, ah, but this way, some unique "Cheats may be unreliable. It's a pity to think about it." Zhang Yongtong is more optimistic: "Over the past millennia, handicrafts with core competitiveness have never disappeared and extinct in any era. The market is constantly changing. Sometimes the market is booming, sometimes facing adjustments, but real good things will always be people's collections and local transactions. The younger generation should really ponder how to South to send their 'martial arts' flourish, so that more people know and love it. "