(Ecns.cn)—One of the most frustrating results of ambitious modernization is the neglect of traditional handicrafts. Many of these crafts are retreating into the unseen sectors of Chinese society like some kind of shadow play, and embroidery, brick carving and a score of others are even thought to be dying out.
Some blame young people for showing no interest in preserving ancient techniques and products, and others heave a sigh for the shrunken market demand; and all feel helpless to reverse the trend.
Rather than lament, some people have started a kind of Doomsday Book, preserving them on paper and in memory. This week that banner of culture, China News Weekly, issued an endangered list of folk handicrafts, as follows:
1) Dough figurine
The dough figurine, known as mianhua or miansu in Chinese, is a small statue made from a lump of well-kneaded dough. Birds, human beings, trees…you name it and it can be a subject.
This time-honored folk art has been going for 4,000 years, but few people specialize in it today. With some luck however, you may still find such a craftsman hidden in an alleyway of an old city such as Beijing or Tianjin. Although their charm seems outdated, these small figurines still fascinate many children who are tired of their electronic toys.
But if you plan to pay a visit to Shaanxi Province, the rural areas of central China are where you will find a wealth of the figurines. Here, the mianhua is still a popular gift.
2) Gourd pyrography
In this old art, small heated iron pokers are used to burn detailed images into the skin of a dried gourd - mostly auspicious cultural ones like the dragon and phoenix. For hundreds of years in the past, it led the dance of folk art in the country's history. Sadly, it has retreated from mass popularity to the quiet reverence of independent working studios.
Though it still casts it elegant shadows in some old malls and markets, gourd pyrography likely shares the same wistful future as the art of the dough figurine.
If you are interested, book a tour to north China's Shanxi Province, where quite a few devoted artists in the capital city are still working on preserving and reviving the handicraft.
