Cloisonne: the royal craft of cloisonne, a New Year gift to the world

BEIJING, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China's intangible cultural heritage:

Before the 2022 Spring Festival, Wang Li, an international student from Tajikistan, and Makara from Sao Tome and Principe came to Dian Zhuang Filigree Factory in Tongzhou district of Beijing to appreciate the unique charm of cloisonne.

Cloisonne, whose scientific name is "copper tire filigree enamel", gained its name because it was popular in the Cloisonne period and the enamel glaze used is mostly blue.

It has distinctive national style and profound cultural connotation, and is one of the traditional handicrafts with Beijing characteristics.

The production process of cloisonne is complicated, and the international students experienced the two main stages of its production process - copper-wire inlay and enamel-filling.

Under the guidance of Xu Siqing, an ICH inheritor of the technique, Wang pinched the copper wire into the shape of a tiger to welcome the coming Year of the Tiger.

In the process of experiencing enamel-filling , Makala said,It's not as simple as it looks. It takes decades of practice to make a beautiful piece of work. It's an honor to visit and learn here, and I will introduce this traditional technique to my family and friends in the future.

On the same day, the international students also went to the enamel factory and witnessed the creation process of the master craftsmen.They were amazed by the originality of cloisonne works.

"I learned that to make enamel works, we need to master the skills of copper body-making,enamel-filling, polishing and calcination, and any mistake in these steps will affect the overall effect. During the short experience, I fell in love with this traditional art."  Wang said.

Actually, cloisonne can not only be used as a royal gift, but also go into ordinary people's homes. It comes with the identity of exotic craft, but after decades of development it adopts the traditional Chinese metal production technology, which integrates traditional Chinese artistic  characteristics, giving people elegant and solemn aesthetic feelings.

During the process, the international students had a thorough understanding of Cloisonne and its history and culture. They all expressed their confidence in spreading and carrying forward Chinese culture in their mind and telling their personal stories about China.

As a craft inherited for a hundred years, Cloisonne regained its vitality through the efforts of craftsmen with a sense of responsibility. This royal craft spanning thousands of years,with the pulse of history and the brand of the new era, is bound to go to the world and have a bright future.

SOURCE China.org.cn