Artist innovates ancient techniques to make them durable
He Jixing checks festive lanterns at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9,2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province, is noted for its "lantern gala," an important folk event held during traditional festivals. A research and education base was established in 2020 at Hongcun village, focusing on manufacturing craftsmanship and performing arts pertaining to traditional festive lanterns.
He Jixing, a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor in his late 30s, has been studying festive lantern-making skills for more than a decade. Apart from inheriting from local masters, he has also contributed his share of innovation by adopting from other lantern genres from around the country. Thanks to raw materials he helped to improve, lantern products there are now more durable than before.
He and his team have hosted hundreds of lantern-themed events over the past few years, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
People hold festive lanterns during a parade at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Sept 15, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)He Jixing makes a festive lantern at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)He Jixing makes a festive lantern at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)He Jixing makes a festive lantern at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. SHI YALEI/FOR CHINA DAILYHe Jixing makes a festive lantern at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. SHI YALEI/FOR CHINA DAILYHe Jixing (center) instructs trainees on how to make festive lanterns at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)In this aerial drone photo, people holding festive lanterns take part in a parade at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province on Sept 15, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)He Jixing (right) and a trainee check festive lanterns at Hongcun village of Yixian county, Huangshan city, east China's Anhui province on Dec 9, 2024. (SHI YALEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Copyright 1995 - 2025. All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily. Without written authorization from China Daily, such content shall not be republished or used in any form.
