Futian Cultural Center displays folk arts

Futian Cultural Center presented over 70 pieces of Chaozhou embroidery, wheat straw paintings and horsetail embroidery at a free exhibition in September, providing locals with an opportunity to witness the spectacle of these national arts of China.

Four renowned artists were invited to the exhibition, including horsetail embroidery master Song Shuixian, Chaozhou embroidery master Li Shuying and wheat straw painting masters Liu Guirong and Li Liangfeng.

“Chaozhou embroidery and wheat straw painting are not very familiar to young people nowadays. This is the first time that such a large collection of selected wheat straw paintings have been exhibited in Shenzhen. We hope that this can give people a chance to learn more about the artistic expression in wheat straw painting and that young people can get a close look at the intangible cultural heritage,” said Liu.

Liu added that the promotion of intangible cultural heritage requires the efforts of different parts of society and that Futian has done its part in supporting intangible cultural heritage.

Chaozhou embroidery is typically colorful, decorative and features sharp contrasts.

It is made with multiple embroidery techniques. Long-standing and wellestablished, this style is sewn neatly and the patterns are arranged in an ingenious way, so that the embroidery is of high aesthetic value.

Wedding gowns made in the Chaozhou style are highly sought after around the world.

Horsetail embroidery is a unique traditional craft from Sandu Shui autonomous county in Guizhou province. Horses play an important part in Shui ethnic culture, with horse racing and horsetail embroidery featured heavily in festivals and celebrations.

As the name suggests, the embroidery is made from horsetail hair, among other materials such as colorful silk thread, to form patterns and images of fish, flowers and dragons.

The art was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

A treasure of China’s folk arts, wheat straw painting originated during the Sui Dynasty (581-618), prospered in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, and gained popularity in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

The exquisite, brightly colored and vivid wheat straw paintings bring a sense of back-to-nature artistic enjoyment to viewers.

The art form has earned a good reputation among the art community and is highly popular both in China and abroad for its unique artistic style and exquisite crafting process.

Shenzhen Daily provided the story.