With such culture-related concepts as “intangible cultural heritage”, “guochao” and “cultural export” becoming increasingly popular, craftsmanship of Suzhou has received widespread media coverage recently. The Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou, a documentary focusing on various intangible cultural heritages in Suzhou, will come to theaters on July 10.
Nine representative traditional Suzhou handicrafts, including colored lantern, fruit pit carving, Song Brocade, Ming Furniture, Suzhou boat dim sum, Suzhou Embroidery, Xiangshanbang Construction Technique, Kesi, and jade carving, will appear on the screen.
In addition, 12 intangible cultural heritage inheritors will share the history and their own stories of these handicrafts.
Craftsmanship of Suzhou
The folk handicrafts that originated in Suzhou accounted for almost half of the handicrafts nationwide in the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing (1644-1911 AD) dynasties. Today, Suzhou handicrafts handed down from ancient times have been collected by museums across the globe, and those that were made in modern times have also appeared on the international stage again and again.
Suzhou joined Creative Cities Network of UNESCO in 2014, and has become the “capital of handicrafts and folk arts”.
The Flagship Store of Fine Crafts of Suzhou was opened in National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on May 26, 2021. Select artistic products are being exhibited to showcase the charm of Jiangnan culture.
Let’s go to the cinema on July 10 and appreciate the beauty of traditional Suzhou handicrafts and intangible cultural heritages!