Xinjiang Efforts to Get Rid of Dilemma

A few months ago, Wang Xinxin, a student of the Xinjiang Vocational University who had just graduated, had signed an employment agreement with a jade processing company in Urumqi. In the next few days, he would have to start carving the jade bowl and start the first step in society. Now.

Like Wang Xinxin, most of the students of the 2010 professional jade identification and processing technology (jade carving) at Xinjiang Vocational University did not start looking for jobs. Many of them have already reached employment agreements with some enterprises in the Mainland. Faced with the rapid development of the jade industry in Xinjiang, jade carving has become a hot professional, and jade carving talents have also become a lot of employers' “Taro”. Even so, the lack of talents in Xinjiang jade carving still affects the jade industry in our region. A stumbling block to development.

Inadequate follow-up strength of jade carving talents

Xinjiang is the hometown of Hetian jade and has a reputation of “hometown of jade”. As one of Xinjiang's most distinctive and attractive cultural business cards, Xinjiang has long played only the role of a raw material supplier in jade culture, and it has been called “having no jade carving”. Over the past few years, jade processing companies that have emerged as a result have mushroomed in many of the bustling areas of Urumqi City. Xinjiang has quickly acquired a number of jade processing companies with local characteristics.

However, influenced by factors such as tradition and geography, it is an indisputable fact that the level of jade processing in Xinjiang has lagged behind traditional jade processing areas in the Mainland for a long time. Compared with the level of jade carvings in Yangzhou and Beijing, the level of jade carving in Xinjiang is still relatively large. gap.

The reporter learned from the Xinjiang Jewelry and Jade Jewelry Industry Association that at present, the jade processing in Xinjiang is lagging far behind the pace of jade sales. According to statistics, the production and processing volume of jade in Xinjiang only accounts for 10% to 15% of the country's total. More than 80% of jade wares are transported to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and other places for processing. Afterwards, 40% of finished jade products are returned to Xinjiang for sale. The lack of talent leads to the slow development of the jade industry in Xinjiang, and the lack of scale in the development of jade professionals is also one of the main factors that affect the development of the jade industry.

According to Li Zechang, executive vice president of the Xinjiang Jewelry & Jewellery Industry Association, the jade carving industry in Xinjiang started later than the mainland, but it has developed rapidly. From the first jade carving factory in Xinjiang in the early 60s of the last century to today’s Xinjiang Hetian Jade Trading Center, a group of jade professional talents with strong strength have formed in the indigenous jade carving industry in Xinjiang, and the jade carving design concept and carving have been formed. Skills and other aspects have been recognized.

It is understood that in recent years, during the competition of different levels of jade carving in the country, the works made by Xinjiang jade carving masters have won awards. Their works are not only popular at auctions across the country, but are also recognized by the domestic collectors community.

Li Zechang said that Xinjiang jade carving has some unique advantages over the inland areas. Not only is it guaranteed on jade raw materials, but also jade carving artists in Xinjiang tend to create Xinjiang genre jade carving products with local characteristics. Their unique carving style and Superb craftsmanship has frequently appeared in the domestic sculpture industry, and is comparable to the level of jade carving artists in the interior. It has already taken the lead in the country.

Li Zechang admitted that although there are many leading figures in the domestic jade carving industry in our district, it does not mean that there is no shortage of jade carving talents. What is currently lacking is the follow-up strength of jade carving talents.

It is harder to learn jade carving and it is harder for masters to master it.

Into the Hetian jade jade carving technical training school in Xinjiang, a strong antique jade culture was blowing. Many jade sculptures independently completed by students came into the eyes of reporters in the hall. The reporter saw in the operation classroom that the students were on the training course and polished the stone on the grinding machine according to the arrangement of the teacher. “Learning jade carving is a chore. In addition to the basic painting and appreciation skills, a jade carving professional must possess the patience and tenacity of his character. He should be able to sit down and do what is necessary, which is a test of whether the jade carving person can be a teacher. "Xia Wei, head of Xinjiang Hetian jade jade carving technical training school said.

Hetian jade jade carving technical training school was established in 2005. The school is jointly run by Xinjiang Baoyu Stone Association and Xinjiang Arts and Crafts Association. It is a professional technical school that specializes in cultivating jade carving professionals.

In recent years, there have been more than 3,000 students graduating one after another. Although not a publicly-run school system, there are not a few people who are attracted to study sculpture. Among them are high school graduates and retired workers. With the rapid development of the jade industry in Xinjiang, most of the students after the study have chosen to open their own shops as bosses or jade carving companies. However, there are very few students who are really able to delve into jade carving techniques.

Xinjiang Efforts to Get Rid of Dilemma

The picture shows that on August 6th, a jade carving master at a jade processing factory in Urumqi was carving a jade piece.

“A mature jade carving master needs savvy and more patience, and the accumulation of time and experience is the best thing for jade cultivators. From the beginning to the beginning, a jade carving technical talent must be three to four years to become proficient and become a province. The level of craftsmen and other levels requires more than a decade of experience, and becoming a national jade master is even more demanding.” Ma Xuewu, national jade master, told reporters.

In the past two years, in addition to the newly established jade carving professions in individual colleges and universities in Xinjiang, the main approach for cultivating jade carving talents is the traditional “teacher and apprentice” model. In the early 60s of the last century, Ma Xuewu was the first group of students to study jade carvings in the interior of Xinjiang. Today, those “classmates” who are still engaged in the jade carving industry are few.

"Three-point stone, seven-point carving", each piece of exquisite work will be cut, sculptured, polished, polished and other links, visible, valuable jade works focus on carving. In the words of Ma Xuewu, jade carving masters should be good at the jade carving industry, and you are insisting that it is not difficult to become an outstanding jade carving master.

However, there are only a few jade sculpture masters who have both understanding and patience. There are few people who can persist in the jade carving industry. This point makes Ma Xuewu, a native jade carving teacher, very worried.

Towards the direction of "Yueyouyou"

In 2006, Xinjiang Vocational University established the specialty of design, processing, and appraisal of gemstones. As the only institution of higher learning that set up a jade carving profession in Xinjiang, this specialty has been recognized as a “specialty specialty” in Xinjiang. The school has the Xinjiang Baoyu stone training base and the tourism product research and development training base, which are mainly supported by the Ministry of Education, and cultivates students’ practical ability under the characteristic education model of “there is a factory in the school and the school has a school”.

Yang Ke, the Minister of Propaganda Department of the Xinjiang Vocational University, introduced that the jade carving profession focuses on skills. Therefore, on the one hand, the school raises the student's starting point by hiring some well-known jade carving masters in Xinjiang to directly participate in the teaching program; on the other hand, students can practice while studying in the jade processing factory on campus. This teaching model allows students to get up to speed quickly after they go to work.

At present, there are nearly one thousand students who graduated from the professional jade gem identification and processing technology (jade sculpture) of Xinjiang Vocational University, and the employment rate is nearly 90%. This happy data makes the jade carving profession attract much attention and it is also the jade industry of Xinjiang. Development reserves talent.

What is even more gratifying is that in November this year, the Xinjiang Xinjiang Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industrial Park jointly established by Xinjiang Vocational University and Xinjiang Chenghe Hetian Jade Culture Communication Center Co., Ltd. will be established. This means that when Xinjiang Vocational University cultivates talents in the field of gemstone design, processing, and appraisal, it can get more practical guidance from experts and technicians from jade companies.

Yang Ke said: “At the appointed time, the Xinjiang Hetian Jade Cultural and Creative Industries Park will achieve the synchronization of enrollment and recruitment, the synchronization of teaching and production, and the synchronization of internships and employment. The combination of school-enterprise cooperation and engineering will integrate resources between learning and use. Maximize."

At the same time, Xinjiang took the lead in the evaluation of the job title of the jade carving industry into the scope of the professional and technical job evaluation of the Human Resources and Office of the People's Republic of China. It is still the first case in the country. It not only solved the problem of the status and treatment of jade carving practitioners, but also improved the overall quality of employees in the jade carving industry, and laid the foundation for standardizing and strengthening the development of Hetian jade culture industry. More people will choose the jade carving profession and the Xinjiang jade carving talent team. Will gradually grow.

At present, the jade industry in Xinjiang follows the pattern of “going out, please come in.” On the one hand, it has extended olive branches to some outstanding masters in the Mainland to guide jade carving techniques; on the other hand, it sent local jade carving teachers to the Mainland to learn and form an exchange. A platform for interaction with learning.

Li Zechang believes that Xinjiang is gradually changing the situation of "having jade without carving" and is moving toward the direction of "having jade and carving."