His words were simple but made me feel sad. The four Masters are all middle-aged and before long, they will retire. Their work is heavy on one hand; on the other hand, they spend their limited free time worrying about how to prevent our traditional craftsmanship from dying out. However, they should be left with more time to think about themselves.
From my practical experience, learning Jinyinxigong is stimulating, challenging and full of fun.
It requires patience and creativity, which I think we all have. Sitting in front of computer and updating a micro-blog all day long is much more boring and we always come up with good ideas to get what we want or to get an upgrade on a computer game. Some want to avoid such hardships containing work, but whatever we want to be good at, we have to work hard. Some want to be surrounded by gold and silver. This work makes such a dream come true.
If I had a talent for art, it would be my honor to carry this invaluable craftsmanship forward.
Look at the sparkling gown Taylor Swift was wearing on the red carpet at the 2012 Grammy Awards, which featured intricate gold and rose-gold beading, as well as a flowing train. This beautiful Chinese-style dress looks like it was produced with the Jinyinxigong craft. This reminds me if we keep the craft alive, more and more people will appreciate this old and consummate skill.
And not only Jinyinxigong, but also a great deal of other traditional handicrafts are confronted with the same situation.
We have grown up. Several years from now the world will change because of us. Isn’t it now our time and our responsibility to undertake this crucial task and devote our efforts to save our precious cultures?
By Gao Shuang, an intern at Chinaculture.org.
Editor: Liu Fang
Print
Save