Life is short, if you don't leave something behind, I am afraid that there will be no trace of the past in the human world, but what existence can escape the torrent of time and always pass on to the world?
Even the classic traditional handicrafts will gradually disappear in the course of history. It's like cloisonné. Nowadays, when it comes to cloisonné, the first adjectives that Chinese think of will definitely be "national treasure-level cultural relics" and "national ceremonies".
But who knows,
This gorgeous traditional handicraft,
Or was it almost lost in the long passage of time? If it were not for Lin Huiyin's efforts to save it, I am afraid that we at the moment would no longer be able to appreciate the wonderful cloisonné.
So, what is the history of cloisonné? What is the story of it and Lin Huiyin?
01, cloisonné once
Cloisonné is originally called copper tire filigree enamel, commonly known as "enamel", can also be directly called "embedded enamel", as for the "cloisonné", it comes from the archives of the Qing Dynasty court during the Yongzheng period.
It is a very famous special metal handicraft in ancient China.
There is no unanimous conclusion on the date of birth.
Some people say that the earliest cloisonné appeared in the Tang Dynasty; others say that cloisonné was a craft brought back to China from West Asia and Arabia during Kublai Khan's army's western expedition.
No matter where cloisonné comes from, it cannot be denied that the new peak of its development was during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the cloisonné craft style tended to mature, and the varieties were not only bottles, plates, bowls, etc., but also decorations such as Dingyi appeared in the later period.
During the Ming Dynasty, the production level of cloisonné was more perfect
The variety of items and decorative themes are also gradually enriched. However, the cloisonné shape of the Ming Dynasty is mostly a vessel, and the appearance is gorgeous and colorful, which is very national style.
In the Qing Dynasty, a manufacturing office was set up to make imperial supplies for the emperor, and cloisonné was one of them. During the Kangxi Dynasty, cloisonné had more powerful production skills than the Ming Dynasty. During the Qianlong period, folk cloisonné artists were specially summoned from Guangzhou to the court to make related utensils.
The use of cloisonné also began at this time, going deep into all corners of life, hooks, screens, tables and chairs, pen holders, religious supplies and so on on.
Its figure seems to be everywhere,
It can be seen that the Qing Palace people loved cloisonné at that time.
In 1840, after the outbreak of the Opium War, cloisonné spread overseas and was once loved by Westerners. Due to the stimulation of foreign trade and economics, the cloisonné process, which has gradually declined, has shown signs of recovery.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon only exists for a very short time.
The cloisonné process is back in the woods.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, as mentioned above, if it were not for Lin Hui's efforts to save it, the traditional craft of cloisonné from the court would probably disappear into history.
The rebirth of cloisonné benefited from Lin Huiyin. But why is cloisonné slowly lost? In fact, the reason is very simple, cloisonné is abundant in the court, most of the cloisonné treasures are also hidden in the palace storehouse, ordinary people do not know it.
Naturally, it will not pay attention to its development. So
The small audience is the most important factor in the disappearance of cloisonné
。 Lin Huiyin's discovery and rescue gave cloisonné the opportunity to enter the public eye, so that the cloisonné craft can continue to be passed on.
02, Lin Huiyin and cloisonné
It was an afternoon in 1951, when Lin Huiyin, who was already ill, accompanied by her husband Liang Sicheng, went to the ancient cultural market in Haiwang Village, Beijing, according to the custom.
When passing by an old man's stall,
A quaint vase caught her attention. Because he had seen cloisonné vessels in his grandfather's house in the past, Lin Huiyin recognized at a glance that the vase was the cloisonné craft. She stopped and picked up the vase and examined it carefully.
The stall owner saw the situation and immediately went forward to introduce it, saying, "The two are really good eyesight, this authentic old cloisonné vase has rarely been seen on the market, it is in Beijing City, this old brand, it is almost impossible to do, the process of cloisonné is completely broken."
From the words of the old man,
Lin Huiyin learned about the dilemma that cloisonné is facing now
She was shocked and amazed, and at the same time heartbroken that such a traditional old craft was about to disappear.
Therefore, after several discussions between Lin Huiyin and her husband Liang Sicheng, he immediately applied to set up an art group in Tsinghua University and personally led the team to rescue the cloisonné craft.
She and her members went deep into different cloisonné factories to investigate their current situation, and when they saw the failed factory, the scarce workers and the old product style,
Lin Huiyin was extremely heartbroken
It also strengthens her determination to save the cloisonné craft.
Find and collect lost cloisonné materials, read cloisonné records in the court archives, and excavate the old craftsmen of the past who were scattered in the folk...
One by one, the measures to save cloisonné were slowly completed in the hands of Lin Huiyin and her members, but she was not satisfied with this, she hoped that cloisonné would reappear in the eyes of the world, so Lin Huiyin and her husband Liang Sicheng began to personally design and transform cloisonné.
In 1952, the cloisonné bottle given to the famous Soviet ballet dancer Ulanova was given by Lin Huiyin, and this gift was loved by Ulanova, who she said was
"A new gift representing the new China"
。
In the same year, at the first international conference hosted by New China, there was also a cloisonné gift, a Dunhuang-themed disc, a quaint table lamp and a smoking apparatus, which Guo Moruo called "the first national gift sent by New China", and they were also designed by Lin Huiyin and her apprentices.
The cloisonné process began to recover,
But Lin Huiyin's life came to an end.
In the spring of 1955, because he had been running around for the sick body for cloisonné, Lin Hui, who was already plagued by disease, had to be admitted to the hospital for treatment due to his aggravation.
Her apprentice Qian Meihua rushed to visit her master's hospital bed, and Lin Huiyin, who was already dying, grabbed her apprentice's hand and told her intermittently
"Cloisonné is a national treasure, and we must not let it be lost in New China"
On April 1 of the same year, with infinite concern for the cloisonné process, Lin Huiyin closed his eyes forever.
03, later of cloisonné
After Lin Huiyin's death, Qian Meihua did not live up to his master's expectations, continued to contribute to the cloisonné process, and personally worked in the cloisonné factory.
Now, from that rescue campaign about cloisonné,
Almost seventy years have passed
The current situation of cloisonné, as Lin Huiyin hoped, did not lose and disappear, but became more and more prosperous.
Liu Luanxiong spent 130 million yuan to present a cloisonné birthday gift to his mother
、
The cultural relics displayed in the Guanfu Museum founded by Mr. Ma Weidu include the figure of cloisonné, the mascot that Ma Yun spent a lot of money to create for Alibaba is also made of cloisonné, and the cloisonné jar displayed in the British Museum is a treasure that countless Chinese are eager to take photos with...
In the past, cloisonné, which was only widely circulated in the emperor's house,
Now it is a treasure of the country, and it has not disappeared
Loss, has not become the past that people can only hear, and all this is thanks to Lin Huiyin's efforts to save it, so that future generations can personally appreciate the beauty of cloisonné, right?
Text/Lin Bonan