Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Filigree inlaid jewelry made by Gu Guoqiang and his studio. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Quanchao
Gu Guoqiang introduced the filigree inlaid jewelry he and the studio made on the live broadcast. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Quanchao
Using pinching, filling, saving, welding, stacking, laying, weaving, weaving and other techniques, the gold and silver wire is made into a variety of shapes, and then uses filing, engraving, skeletonizing, stuffing, chopping, collapsing, squeezing, stone, cutting, inlaying and other techniques, the metal pieces are made into bowls or claw-shaped grooves, inlaid with different types of gemstones, which is the traditional Chinese handicraft - filigree inlay. It was preceded by the wrong gold and silver craftsmanship of the Spring and Autumn Warring States, and was mainly used in the court in the feudal era. Since modern times, this time-honored traditional skill has gradually declined. In 2008, filigree inlay was inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
At present, most of the craftsmen who have mastered this skill are elderly, and young masters are rare. Chongqing's "post-90s" Gu Guoqiang has established his own style for this traditional skill, hoping to inherit and carry forward this Chinese cultural treasure.
Pass on your skills with ingenuity
Over the past few years, Gu Guoqiang has uploaded more than 180 short videos about filigree inlay on Kuaishou. He not only makes jewelry, but also good at writing copywriting and being diligent in shooting videos, so browsing his Kuaishou number "Special Palace Antique Jewelry" is a pleasure: the main body of the video - hairpins, step shakes, earrings, brooches and other jewelry made of filigree inlays, exquisite and gorgeous; the background music is mostly ancient songs or popular songs with dramatic elements; the copywriting is timeless, as if telling a small story through time. Although most videos are less than 20 seconds long, the quaint charm and romantic atmosphere make you fall in love with these jewelry at first sight after a glimpse...
Gu Guoqiang initially studied Chinese painting and majored in ceramics at university; after returning to Chongqing, he studied cultural relics restoration and went to the Forbidden City for half a year. In the process of restoring cultural relics, he came into contact with filigree inlays, and at first sight, he was greatly shocked: "Our predecessors can make such fine jewelry!" So I immediately had the idea of learning and having this traditional skill. Through the visit, he found that filigree inlay is basically done by teachers, "I think our generation should pick up this traditional skill, so that our descendants will not be able to see it in the museum one day, and regret that it has been lost." 」 So he officially studied with Li Changyi, the 70-year-old inheritor of Chongqing's filigree inlay.
The filigree inlay process is complex, and the process of mastering the basics and practicing the necessary skills is boring and relatively long. For example, the initial drawing process is to dissolve a silver block about two centimeters thick, and after several drawings, it finally becomes a silver wire with a thickness of 0.16 mm, which is thinner than hair. There is also a strong process of wire reinforcement, to turn the fine metal wire into a three-dimensional instrument through coiling, pinching, filling, stacking and other methods. But Gu Guoqiang was always not impatient and fascinated by it. He believes that filigree inlay is not only exquisite in craftsmanship and quite beautiful, but also has a rich cultural connotation and meaning behind it, such as the peony tangle pattern he often makes, which expresses the beautiful wish of wealth and longevity.
"Most people attract attention because of complexity, and a few people use ingenuity to turn craftsmanship into art." Gu Guoqiang said that the simple stacking of multiple elements will make the work tacky, "I spend more effort on creative ideas and pursue just the right design." Each piece establishes a theme, and all elements conform to this theme, so that it is exquisite and clear at a glance. What he pursues is to absorb traditional Chinese concepts in design, so that traditional crafts are more in line with the aesthetic and use habits of contemporary people, and create their own unique style."
Inject youthfulness into old craftsmanship
Gu Guoqiang's studio has been operating for 5 years, and there are currently 15 people, producing about 1,000 pieces of jewelry a year. "Treasure of the Town Hall" is to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of the studio, everyone worked together to create a golden corolla in a year, only the material is worth more than 1 million yuan, but it is only used for exhibition and not for sale. His most widely played short video on Kuaishou was played more than 7.4 million times, and it took him a month to repair the flower crowns worn by women in the Republic of China period when they married, which he received from the flea market. Gu Guoqiang believes that "these old objects are like a patient, can not be abandoned, self-destruction, should be properly collected, carefully restored, reproduced their worldly style, so that more people know, pay attention to them, and improve everyone's awareness of cultural relics protection." By repairing old objects, Gu Guoqiang also gained a lot: "The things handed down by the predecessors contain their wisdom, and we can draw inspiration from them, learn some techniques, present them in new design ways, and inject youth into the old craft." ”
Gu Guoqiang was born in a remote area of Chongqing, at first the elderly relatives and friends around him did not understand this skill, felt that it took a long time and made money slowly; when he first established the studio, Gu Guoqiang also faced the dilemma of filigree inlay being unknown, no one buying the works, and still not getting market feedback from many promotions. Fortunately, with the help of two knowledgeable pedestrians from Beijing and Chongqing, "my works were discovered by people who liked them, and since then I have ushered in a turning point in my career." Today, Koo has finally lived a life that matches his gorgeous and exquisite works, and his relatives and friends have found that engaging in traditional handicrafts can indeed support his family, and they have turned to support him in doing what he likes.
In the past, the feathers on the back and wings of kingfishers were used in the process of making filigree inlay jewelry, but now in order to protect the ecology, most of Gu Guoqiang and the studio's works use parrot hair. Although the color of parrot fur is more heterogeneous and more flowery, the product is still good-looking because of the enhanced craftsmanship. Gu Guoqiang will also add some Western techniques to the operation, such as carving wax, to make the works thicker, more jewelly, and more in line with international aesthetics. Gu Guoqiang's studio now has at least 300 couriers shipped overseas every year.
Proud of traditional culture
Gu Guoqiang said that new media has brought great help to the promotion and inheritance of traditional skills, not only more people have paid attention to him and his studio, but also brought traditional skills closer to the public. He actively participated in Kuaishou's "Intangible Cultural Heritage", "Art To Help the Winter Olympics", "Ice and Snow New Knowledge" and other activities, "whether it is traditional skills or the Beijing Winter Olympics, it is the pride of China, and more people should understand them and be proud of China." He said.
However, there are also some young people who leave messages under the video, on the one hand, admiring the beauty of filigree inlaid jewelry, on the other hand, saying that they are a bit unaffordable. The price of these jewelry ranges from a few hundred yuan to thousands of yuan, such as entry-level diancui earrings of about a thousand yuan, and hairpins usually start from two or three thousand yuan. Gu Guoqiang explained that these jewelry are all handmade, and a master usually takes more than ten days or even 20 days to complete a piece, so the price is not low. "Traditional handicrafts have historical precipitation, and the longer they precipitate, the higher the value." He believes that today's young people may know and recognize some foreign jewelry luxury goods, while some jewelry brands in the West often make several pieces and dozens of pieces at the same time, reducing costs and prices. "We must also further strengthen publicity and promotion to improve young people's awareness and self-confidence in traditional culture."
Filigree inlay was originally a special technique for the court, but now how can it better enter the homes of ordinary people? Gu Guoqiang said that he will further reduce costs and create richer and more diverse products for different customers; he will continue to innovate, "breaking everyone's impression of traditional handicrafts and old soil, so that they can be integrated into our daily lives, constantly being used and promoted at the same time." He also hopes that more young people will join the ranks of inheriting filigree inlaying, bringing new aesthetic concepts and interests, "just like the Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and modern times each have their own representative aesthetic styles of the times, with the continuation of history and the addition of new craftsmen, filigree inlay will be passed down from generation to generation, and the innovation of each generation will be preserved, developed and changed, and never stopped." (Reporter Miao Chun)
People's Daily Overseas Edition ( 2022-02-25 Issue 07)