Dialogue with Jiangnan丨Yuan Mu: 400 years of fashion history mirror Su Zuo innovation road

Hushuguan straw mat weaving is ingeniously integrated into the production of modern shoes and bags, Changshu lace technology innovation is applied to silk scarves, lampshades and other daily necessities, and earrings and hanging ornaments made of Weitang pearls have become Internet celebrity products pursued by young people... In recent years, Suzuo craftsmanship has frequently exploded in the fashion circle, blowing a national trend, highlighting the infinite possibilities of the perfect integration of traditional skills and modern life.

In fact, fashion has always been the cultural character of Suzhou. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou fashion represented by "Su Yi" and "Su Style" has long led the trend of Chinese from lifestyle to behavior, shaping the cultural business card of "Paradise Suzhou" and setting up the golden signboard of "Tiangong Suzuo". It can be said that ancient is only the coat of Suzhou, and fashion is her soul.

Learn from the past and the present, and examine the past. Based on the present, on the basis of preserving traditional culture, how to innovate expression techniques, craft carriers, and work themes, integrate more aesthetic and fashion life elements of the times, so that Suzuo craftsmanship can rejuvenate in the new era and promote the prosperity and development of Suzhou's cultural and creative industry? This issue of "Dialogue with Jiangnan" invites Professor Yuan Mu of the School of Arts of Soochow University to explore the genetic code of Suzhou's fashion and discuss the development strategy of the cultural industry.

(Photo courtesy of interviewee)

"Highly competitive" is an important factor in the innovation and development of Suzuo

Suzhou Daily: As the first intangible cultural heritage documentary film in China, "Tiangong Suzuo" has attracted widespread attention since its release.

Yuan Mu: "Tiangong Suzuo" is a representative work that shows the craftsmanship of Suzuo. During the filming and production of the film, I made some suggestions, such as why the film was named "Tiangong Suzuo", because "Tiangong" means "inhuman work", and "Suzuo" is a model of Jiangnan handicraftsmanship, and the combination of the two can truly reflect the characteristics and status of Suzuo's skills.

To understand "Suzuo", we must first understand "handmade". It is a creative activity that originated in the agricultural era and is characterized by craftsmanship. An important feature of handicrafts is "drifting", the so-called "starving craftsmen in the famine year", people rely on their handicraft skills to go to other places to seek a livelihood.

There have been three southern crossings in China's history, which have promoted the prosperity and development of the Jiangnan region. In fact, the development of Suzhou's handicraft industry is not only because the northerners have moved south to bring knowledge, technology and talents, but also because of the high degree of industry competitiveness. A large number of people poured into Suzhou, and faced with the reality of many people and few places, they had to choose to enter the handicraft industry. Under the fierce industry competition, in order to win a larger market, craftsmen continue to work hard in product quality and innovation, and finally form a good situation of talent enrichment, exquisite skills and reputation. Therefore, the development of Suzuo is the result of a series of factors such as economic development, population agglomeration, and technological innovation. It is worth mentioning that the "drifting" nature of handicrafts has brought a steady stream of human resources to the development of Suzuo. The beginning of the film "Tiangong Suzuo" is a father and son who fled to Suzhou, which is a true portrayal of this characteristic.

Suzhou Daily: You have given many lectures on the topic of "400 years of Suzuo fashion", how is the time node of 400 years defined?

Yuan Mu: After many population migrations, especially in the Southern Song Dynasty, Suzhou gradually formed a relatively complete urban pattern. From the mid-Ming Dynasty to the outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion, Suzhou has become the most economically developed place in the country, and it is in a prominent position leading the trend in terms of social development and lifestyle.

The prosperity of Suzuo craftsmanship is also a gradual accumulation process, which gradually reached its peak state after the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Shizhi, a human geographer of the Ming Dynasty, said in "Guangzhiyi": "Those who the Su people think are elegant, then the four directions are elegant, and the laymen are customary." "This leading Suzhou fashion has lasted for nearly three centuries and is not only a conspicuous fashion, but also a symbol of taste and identity, charm and realm, elegance and elegance. For example, during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, it was recorded that in Jingzhong, "Xiao'er Xi'er has hair like an aunt's hat, playful like Wu'er, and close to a demon." However, the imperial woman, to the top of the bun, since the middle of one or two years... Ya is pretending to be good. The pointed shoes in the palace are flat, and there is no sound, although the Virgin also has Wu wind."

Suzhou Daily: What was the leading aspect of Suzhou fashion at that time?

Yuan Mu: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, famous brands were advertised throughout the country, and clothing and accessories must be called Wu clothing, treasures and jade treasures must be made of Wu, utensils and dishes must be called Wu products, and boats and cars to play and decorate novelties must be called Wu style. Qiu Weiping, a literary scholar and poet in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, recorded in "The Legend of the Dead Friend Wei Yingbo": "You Wu, Yue Gui, crown Wu Guan, two inches high, the people in the county laughed." In the latter March, there is no one in the county who does not crown, crown or ruler four inches. "Similar stories abound in historical sources. For example, Suzhou women advocate thrift, and the remaining pieces of cloth in the family are reluctant to discard, and after splicing, they are made into clothes for children to wear, called "paddy clothes". At that time, Suzhou had become a national fashion benchmark, in today's words, "Internet celebrity".

Not only that, Suzhou's fashion has also had a great influence overseas. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, due to the development of maritime trade, the world saw the prosperity of ancient China, especially those exquisite creations, which dazzled and envied European missionaries and merchants who entered China. When China's unique silk, porcelain, furniture, lacquerware and other items flooded the European market through maritime trade, it soon became a luxury item that people were vying for. At that time, China was blowing the "Suzuo fashion style", so the European court at that time, clothing, food, housing and travel had distinct Suzhou elements.

Suzuo craftsmanship has given Jiangnan culture a material carrier

Suzhou Daily: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a saying about handmade creations "Suzhou-like, Guangzhou craftsman", how to understand this sentence?

Yuan Mu: In the early Qing Dynasty, the great Ru Qu Dajun said in the "Guangdong New Language": "Pewter ware is made in Guangzhou. Proverb: 'Suzhou-like, Guangzhou craftsman'. The same goes for iron metallurgy. This is the earliest documentary record of "Suzhou-like, Guangzhou craftsman". At that time, "Suzhou Craftsman" and "Guangzhou Craftsman" competed side by side and were famous all over the world. But Suzhou leads the way in style design and fashion creativity. It can be said that "Suzhou-like" was synonymous with fashion and trends in the middle and late Ming dynasties. Specifically, it is a kind of "Suzhou creation" that presents the ancient cultural meaning of Suzhou everywhere.

"Suzhou-like" also presents different names and forms in different aspects: in terms of human form and lifestyle, it is called "Suyi"; In terms of the pattern of creation and mode of behavior, the name is "Su style"; In terms of aesthetic orientation and creation techniques, it is marked as "Su Zuo". The rich cultural accumulation and the living environment of leisure and excellent travel have bred a way of life of "Wu customs and luxury, happy and strange", so that "when the world speaks of the Sioux people, it is thin to the point of using the arrangement, all the habits of frivolity and frivolity, salty laughter refers to 'Su Yi', that is, 'being a person through the bone'". For example, during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Hangzhou caught a citizen wearing narrow socks and light shoes, wanted to parade the streets to show the public, and for a while could not find a suitable reason for conviction, and finally called him "Suyi prisoner", which means that this strange costume must have imitated the Suzhou people.

Suzhou Daily: Suzhou is the core area and birthplace of Jiangnan culture, what is the relationship between the popularity of Suzhou fashion and Jiangnan culture?

Yuan Mu: "Jiangnan" is not a simple geographical concept, because there are different administrative divisions in different periods, and it should be interpreted from the perspective of cultural Jiangnan. The proverb that began to be popular in the Song Dynasty, "There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below" will be Bai Juyi's "Jiangnan is good, and the scenery is old." The sunrise river flowers are red and the fire is victorious, and the spring river water is as green as blue. Can you not remember Gangnam? The poetic imagery became "heaven". If you understand Jiangnan purely from the explicit representation, it is nothing more than the "small bridge flowing water, pillow river people" that people often express, or "fresh and elegant, smoke and rain", the key is what prompts people to form such a narrative of Jiangnan culture? I think it is the state of life in Gangnam and the creation of Gangnam with life as the carrier.

Regarding the state of life in Jiangnan, whether it is historical documents, or literary film and television works, there are detailed descriptions, and we focus on discussing Jiangnan creation. Where is the core of Gangnam's creation? Suzhou, of course. Suzuo craftsmanship leads the fashion of the country, and also leads the trend and standard of Jiangnan creation. People often use the words "fine, fine, elegant and clean" to describe Jiangnan creation, which more vividly summarizes the basic characteristics of Jiangnan creation. "Jing" and "fine" represent the quality and aesthetics of Jiangnan culture, while "Ya" and "Jie" better express the artistic conception and pursuit of Jiangnan culture. In a nutshell, Suzuo craftsmanship has endowed Jiangnan culture with a material carrier, allowing people to find samples of Jiangnan's beautiful imagination in life, so that people can more intuitively understand that Jiangnan is a delicate and elegant Jiangnan, a Jiangnan with prosperous cultural movements, and a paradise that haunts the soul.

Suzhou Daily: After thousands of years of protection and inheritance, Suzuo craftsmanship still has strong vitality, in your opinion, how is the development of Suzuo craft?

Yuan Mu: In the current development of Suzuo technology, it should be said that opportunities and challenges coexist. With the advent of the information age, we have entered the way of creation with digital technology as the main means. Computer modeling, digital design, laser engraving... The advancement of technology has promoted Suzuo craftsmanship to continuously innovate forms of expression and expression, bringing people more product choices and aesthetic experience. However, as we all know, as a product of the agricultural era, Suzuo craftsmanship has always existed in the form of handmade work, and how to promote the better innovation and development of Suzuo craftsmanship on the basis of protecting and inheriting Suzuo's traditional craftsmanship and combining contemporary technology is a topic that requires in-depth consideration.

The times are developing, technology is innovating, but what changes is the way of creation and the fashion of aesthetics, and what remains unchanged is the creative spirit of Suzhou people. We can't cling to the inadequacy and pursue handicraftsmanship. So what kind of energy can the traditional Suzuo process give to our products? My point of view is genetic inheritance and cultural empowerment. Traditional Suzuo craftsmanship has a large number of excellent aesthetic elements, including patterns, colors and combination styles, etc., which should be well passed down no matter how the times develop. The excellent traditional culture has rich expression and presentation in Suzuo craftsmanship, and it is necessary to use innovative thinking to do a good job in the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese elements of Suzuo craft.

Create a "cultural park" for the development of Suzuo craftsmanship

Suzhou Daily: In recent years, many Suzuo crafts have actively developed cultural and creative products, and some have become Internet celebrity products, how do you feel about this?

Yuan Mu: To unlock this topic, we still have to think about the contemporary transformation of traditional crafts. The so-called cultural creativity is actually cultural recreation and innovation with culture as an element and integrating various forms or carriers. Traditional crafts originated in the agricultural era, and the products produced were close to the reality of people's lives at that time, with quantitative demand, and were scaled, but some cultural and creative products "look beautiful" at present, in fact, did not produce too many economic and social benefits, in the final analysis, it is still not able to meet the daily needs or aesthetic requirements of contemporary people. In addition, the agility and elegance of Suzhou's handmade creations are presented in every production process and every ingenious detail of the work, penetrating into all aspects such as design and material selection, ingredient modeling, carving and modification, even if it is inconspicuous. Therefore, we cannot carry out the physical combination of culture and products in a "1+1" way, such as changing the packaging design of traditional Suzuo products, which is called cultural and creative products, but to carry forward the craftsmanship spirit of Suzuo excellence, the innovative spirit of conforming to the times, and make good use of traditional Suzuo craft technology and aesthetic elements to produce new cultural products suitable for contemporary market demand.

Suzhou Daily: You have opened accounts on many new media platforms to promote Suzuo craftsmanship. How can Suzuo craft better use new media development?

Yuan Mu: The role of the media in disseminating and promoting traditional arts and crafts is huge. In 2011, I filmed 42 episodes of the TV culture feature film "Yuan Mu Talks about Art", of which 20 episodes were broadcast on CCTV 10 sets, which generated great repercussions. However, with the advent of the mobile Internet era, the rapid development of emerging media with mobile phones as the carrier has become an irreversible trend. Since 2020, I have begun to try to use the self-media platform to display and promote Suzuo craftsmanship, and after a period of operation, the effect is relatively good, the number of readings continues to rise, and I can have better interaction with the audience. Not long ago, I cooperated with Professor Cao Lindi of Soochow University to shoot a series of short videos of Suzhou Gardens, which attracted the attention of the whole network. In general, new media can better disseminate and promote Suzuo craftsmanship, and can also bring economic benefits to Suzuo artists. Therefore, relevant departments should actively guide and standardize, and Su Zuo artists should also learn to make good use of new media technology.

Suzhou Daily: Suzhou is a city immersed in culture and has a good cultural industry foundation, how do you think we can better promote the development of Suzuo craftsmanship?

Yuan Mu: Two years ago, as a member of the Suzhou CPPCC, I submitted a proposal with the theme of "Suggestions on Building a Cultural and Creative Industry Platform for Suzuo Craftsmanship and Building a Fashion Capital of Suzuo". I suggest that in the branding of "Jiangnan Culture", the international city business card of "Handicraft and Folk Art City" should be empowered with creative design, and the "Suzuo Fashion" city with innovative creativity and Sugongsu as the highlight is created.

To create a "Suzuo fashion" capital, I think it is very important to build a Suzuo craft cultural and creative industry platform. There is a unique "island and reef phenomenon" in cultural development, which is like a shipwreck on the seabed, which slowly attracts aquatic plants, fish, plankton, etc. to gather and grow, forming a good seabed ecosystem. Due to historical and traditional reasons, most of the Suzuo crafts are scattered in traditional villages, which is difficult to produce agglomeration effects and cannot be displayed systematically. Therefore, I think that in the current urban projects of renovation and utilization or organic renewal of relevant government departments, some integrated spaces that accommodate the settlement and development of Suzuo arts and crafts projects can be created, forming "cultural islands" with different characteristics, and then connecting the dots into pieces to create a "cultural park" that integrates the development of Suzuo craftsmanship and fashion design.

Character introduction

Yuan Mu, former vice president of the Academy of Arts of Soochow University, director of the Institute of Arts and Crafts of Soochow University, and professor of the School of Arts of Soochow University; Distinguished Professor of Suzhou University of Science and Technology. Researcher of the Institute of Arts and Crafts Innovation and Development, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Distinguished researcher of China Intangible Cultural Heritage Design Art Research Institute; Expert member of Jiangsu Arts and Crafts Society, member of the Expert Advisory Committee of Suzhou CPPCC; Consultant of Jiangsu Bamboo Carving Research Association; Consultant of Jinling Bamboo Carving Museum; Consultant of Bamboo Carving Professional Committee of Suzhou Arts and Crafts Industry Society; Consultant of Tiger Hill Sculpture Institute, Chairman of the Sculpture Art Steering Committee of Suzhou Sculpture Association. Member of the 13th and 14th sessions of the Suzhou CPPCC.

He created 42 episodes of the TV culture feature film "Yuan Mu Talks about Art", which was broadcast by CCTV 10 sets and Suzhou Radio and Television General Station; Published four monographs on Chinese painting and four books on nuclear carving, birdcage, wood carving, brick carving, etc.; Curated a series of intangible cultural heritage exhibitions such as bamboo carving, lacquer art, birdcage, and Su fan of "Master of Nets Yayun"; Presided over a number of national, provincial and municipal scientific research projects; He has held eight solo exhibitions in China, Germany and Japan.

Reporter's Notes

"Player" Yuan Mu

Yuan Mu's "recognition" is very high. A pair of black-framed glasses, a lock of gray and white long hair, whether wearing a Chinese short gown or a round neck and short sleeves, can not hide the old-school scholarly temperament revealed by him, which is unforgettable. But as you get to know him, it's hard to find the right words to describe him. The rigor of the scholar, the concentration of the craftsman, the delicacy of the painter, and the childlike "playfulness" are all clearly reflected in him. Come to think of it, I'll call him a "player."

I first came into contact with Yuan Mu four years ago. On the other end of the phone, he loudly expressed his views on Suzuo jade carving and the jade market, his words were full of love for Suzuo jade carving, and he warmly invited me to his carving studio in Guangfu Town, Wuzhong District. Not long after, his WeChat circle of friends posted videos about birdcages from time to time. It wasn't until two years later, when a new book "Great Country Craftsmen - Nanlong Taidou Yan Hujin" came out, the author Yuan Mu, that I suddenly realized that in the past two years, he had been immersed in studying Suzuo Birdcage.

Later, I learned that the jade carving and the birdcage were just "two waves" in his hobby. Seeing the magnificent colors of lacquer art, he established a lacquer art studio at the School of Art of Soochow University, bringing out more than a dozen graduate students; Fascinated by the magical glaze of ceramics, he set up a ceramic studio in Jingdezhen without hesitation; Later, he plunged headlong into the art world of bamboo carving... Perhaps it is too "playful" that everyone forgets that he is actually a professional painter, began to learn painting in his teens, majored in Chinese painting as an undergraduate and graduate student, has splashed ink for more than 40 summers and winters, and has held eight solo exhibitions at home and abroad.

For his "greedy play", Yuan Mu does not hide it. He summed up a set of sand building theories for himself: the academic career is actually a building that adds bricks and tiles every day in life, and the height of the building built on the sand depends not only on the depth of the foundation, but also on the breadth and width of the building. In fact, playing is not his goal, through the attitude and way of playing, to explore the authenticity of artistic creation, is his pursuit. As he said, if people who make art can't even be self-absorbed, then how can they revel in others?

After retirement, Yuan Mu had more time to play, holding lectures, holding art exhibitions, self-driving tours, and playing self-media without a teacher. He has registered accounts on multiple social platforms, all named "Play Art Jing", and writes tweets and videos every day, does personal publicity and work promotion for artist friends around him, and occasionally talks about his artistic insights. After more than two years, he really "saved" tens of thousands of fans. He said that doing what you like, don't stick to formalities, "living a little more transparently is more important than anything else." ”

(Reporter Peng Huacheng)

Editor: Qian Fang