Stepping into Guangzhou Liwan's Ding Hu Chun Tea Culture & Art Craft Co., Ltd., our gaze is immediately captivated by the objects before us. Displayed in the cabinets are teapots, teacups, tea trays, and water containers, all crafted from pure silver. The silver exudes a delicate luster, and the enamel patterns and chiseled reliefs on each piece showcase the exquisite craftsmanship honed through countless hammer blows. Every stroke, every chisel mark, embodies the artisan's dedication.
As the representative inheritor of Guangzhou silversmithing techniques, an intangible cultural heritage project, Zhang Huaqin, the founder of Ding Hu Chun, has been connected to the art of silversmithing for over two decades. Born into a family of silversmiths, she grew up immersed in the clanging sounds of hammering. Every step of silver production was planted as a seed in her heart.
"I studied fashion design in college, but after graduating, I didn't think much and started learning silversmithing from Master Long Chaojian in Fangcun," Zhang said with a smile, recalling her early days. Initially, just practicing holding the hammer often resulted in accidental injuries to her hands. The scars on her fingertips became the most profound mark of her learning journey.
Despite the hardships, Zhang was passionate about the hammer and chisel of silversmithing. "When I first started, my technique was too raw, and the silver teapots I made were crooked and clumsy, exuding a kind of 'primitive' awkwardness." However, these seemingly immature and simple works unexpectedly gained the love and recognition of customers. This affirmation became her greatest motivation to persevere and cultivate her skills tirelessly. Over time, her technique became more skilled, and she gradually freed her hands, adding her own ingenuity to traditional craftsmanship, giving each piece a unique soul.
On the display shelves of Ding Hu Chun, Lingnan charm is evident everywhere: the freshness of lychees, the elegance of banana leaves. These local elements are cleverly integrated into the silver design, and when paired with Guangzhou's local enamel painting techniques, the originally cold silver products instantly gain warmth and spirit, becoming aesthetic carriers that embellish life. To revitalize the old craft, Zhang also partnered with the Guangdong Museum, using the museum's architectural form as inspiration to create the "Moonlight Treasure Box" series of tea sets. The design of just one teapot took four years and four iterations. The tea box, which also serves as a tea strainer, is the epitome of ingenuity. Tiny holes are drilled one by one with a drill on the entire silver tray, allowing the character "cang" (to store) to appear faintly in the light and shadow, hiding both the museum's heritage and the artisan's ingenuity.
Not limited to traditional tea sets, Zhang is also constantly breaking boundaries, making intangible heritage crafts relevant to contemporary life. Handmade coffee pot sets and portable cigar boxes, these trendy items incorporating silver craftsmanship, have become "trendy national treasures" sought after by young people.
"Inheritance is not about sticking to the rules; innovation is the best form of preservation," said Zhang. Next, she plans to integrate other Guangzhou intangible heritage techniques, such as Cantonese embroidery and Guangzhou enamel, into silver production, allowing different old crafts to collide and create more sparks.
Like many intangible cultural heritage crafts, Guangzhou silver-making once faced the dilemma of aging masters and a scarcity of young inheritors. Fortunately, in recent years, social media has provided more platforms for this ancient craft to be displayed, and the audience has gradually become younger. With the help of the Guochao (China's national trend) phenomenon, this craft, which carries Chinese traditional culture, has slowly stepped out of the country and become a "silver business card" for telling Chinese stories and showcasing Eastern aesthetics to the world.
(Reporter & Camerapeople: Shuai Cheng, Huang Baoyi; Editors: Yi, Shuai Cheng, Huang Baoyi; English Editor: Rachel, Darius)
Related News:
Comment