After contact with a variety of Chaoshan folk crafts, it can be found that although these folk crafts are very different from the use of materials to the form of techniques, some of which are almost unrelated, they all reflect their own style in terms of fine craftsmanship, and are attracted by the world. As mentioned more than once above, the formation of this fine and skillful style is related to the Chaoshan culture. At the end of this chapter, we would like to make a brief summary of this topic.
First of all, from a technical point of view, the acquisition of a fine and skillful artistic style depends on the exquisite skills of folk artists. This depends on the excellence of the craftsmen in their craftsmanship, supported by strong economic forces. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the commodity economy in this region has developed rapidly, and after the Qing Dynasty Qianjia, the success of overseas trade has led to the emergence of many rich merchants and giants in Chaoshan Province, who have invested a large amount of funds in the construction of ancestral temples and mansions. For example, the construction of Chao'an congxi ancestral hall took fourteen years (1870-1883) and spent 260,000 yuan on funds, which is the most prominent example. Other cases of spending tens of thousands of dollars to build a mansion in a few years abound.
Photo by Cai Haisong
In fact, most of the money and time is spent on the decorative craftsmanship of the building. The master has the resources to demand craftsmanship, and the artist also has time to strive for perfection. The stone carvings from the Xigong Ancestral Hall can be described as exquisite, and the local story of "four belly stone carvings, three carved stone masters" is still circulated in the local area. At that time, there was also a custom that builders liked to hire two teams or even several teams of craftsmen at the same time during the renovation stage, so that they could test the level of skill. The fierce competition also encourages the artists to constantly improve their skills and aspire to create handicrafts that have never been seen before. It is in this socio-economic condition that the style of fine craftsmanship arises.
Photo by Cai Haisong
Secondly, from the conceptual level, the artistic style of exquisite craftsmanship can be accepted by the aesthetic consciousness of the Chaoshan people, and has its ideological and cultural background. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the intensification of population pressure and the development of the commodity economy slowly changed the behavior of Teochew people with a tenacious force. More labor is put into a certain area of arable land, agricultural technology gradually changes from extensive to intensive farming; in commercial activities, everything must be carefully calculated; and the navigation on the sea is carefully handled in every link... These ways of behavior are bound to affect people's way of thinking and aesthetic pursuits, and they want to be "careful" and "confucian" in everything. The exquisite and ingenious style of Chaoshan folk crafts was accepted in such an ideological and cultural background. On the other hand, it in turn strengthens the Chaoshan people's cultural concept of pursuing Confucianism and refinement.
Source: Haibin Zou Lu is Haiyang Wen/Huang Ting
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