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Did you find out?
Almost all the beautiful things, characters, virtues, and wishes of ancient China are related to jade.
In "Dream of the Red Chamber", Cao Xueqin likes to use "jade" as a name for those pure and beautiful and spiritual characters.
Baoyu, Daiyu, Miaoyu, and Hongyu are all jade!
Beauty is a beautiful person, a gentleman is gentle as jade, and a good marriage is a good marriage of gold and jade.
Xu Shen of the Han Dynasty explained jade in the Shuowen Jiezi as follows: "Jade, the beauty of stone." ”
Why is this beautiful stone so popular with Chinese and runs through the entire Chinese civilization?
This also begins with the Neolithic period, which is more than 5,000 years ago.
Our ancestors had enough to eat and drink, and after satisfying their material pursuits, they began to have spiritual pursuits.
I don't know which primitive man picked up a beautiful stone by the river and was fascinated by this useless beauty.
They meticulously carved and reborn this stone, and the "First Dragon of China" was born!
▲ Jasper Dragon Hongshan Culture
It is the beast jasper dragon of the Hongshan culture (also known as the C-shaped jade dragon and the pig-billed jade dragon), and it is the earliest dragon-shaped jade in the current era of China.
Our ancestors incorporated the worship of the totem of the divine beast and the expectation of a better life into this small jade.
The inheritance of jade continues, from the Jade King excavated in the Liangzhu culture of the Neolithic Period, to the Jade Dragon Shou huang of the State of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Warring States, and then to the white jade mite pattern of the Ming Dynasty.
▲ Liangzhu Culture (Top Left)
▲ Jade Dragon Shou Huang Spring and Autumn Warring States (bottom left)
▲ White Jade Mantis Pattern Ming (right)
And these jades all point to the same place - Suzhou.
Suzhou jade carving began with the Liangzhu culture 5,000 years ago, and has a long history throughout the dynasties, from the initial communication with heaven and earth as a ceremonial instrument, to the later as a symbol of royal status, and then become synonymous with the gentleman's high and clean character.
Jade seemed to have been hiding a mysterious power that only Chinese could feel, and this power was endless, rushing forward.
▲ Zhang Keshan
Recently, we just had the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange with Zhang Keshan, a jade carver in Suzhou.
Zhang Keshan, from the name, has an indissoluble relationship with jade.
This also starts from the sentence "The stone of its mountain can attack jade", attacking jade refers to carving jade.
Zhang Keshan's father did not think of this allusion when he took this name, and Zhang Keshan did not expect that he would engage in jade carving in Suzhou in the future.
▲ Zhang Keshan in carving
He loved to draw since he was a child, always drawing in textbooks, and sometimes even at the desk. By chance, at the age of 17, he came to Suzhou to start a life related to jade.
A person's name may be like the original wish a parent made for a child, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and everyone takes root in this wish to a greater or lesser extent.
As the saying goes, "jade is not crafted, not a tool", which shows the importance of carving for jade.
The most difficult and unique thing about carving jade is that the jade itself is also involved in this artistic creation.
Because each piece of jade has its own characteristics, different colors, different hardness, different textures.
▲ Zhang Keshan in carving
Jade carvers will "teach according to their talents" according to the attributes of the jade itself, and carry out unique artistic creations on unique jade.
"I think the real work still has to be designed according to the raw materials, so that you don't solidify."
In the work "Thousand Paper Cranes", because the original jade material has more cracks, there will be more cutting of the block surface.
He thought, Isn't this particularly similar to the folding of the paper on one side and the side of the paper of the folding crane when he was a child?
So he removed the impurities and used the red of the jade itself to transform the thousand paper cranes out.
▲ Zhang Keshan Jade Carving "A Thousand Paper Cranes"
Zhang Keshan's original intention in creating this work is also very simple, with the natural simplicity of the craftsmen.
He said that he actually just wanted to express a wish through the Thousand Paper Crane, and that the person who owned it might want his family to be healthy, his children to grow up smoothly, his career to be successful, and so on.
▲ Zhang Keshan Jade carving "A Thousand Paper Cranes"
In the past, jade carried the original wishes of our ancestors to resist natural disasters and pray that the totem could bring prosperity to the tribe, and now jade also carries the simplest and simplest wishes of the Chinese people.
The inheritance of jade culture, in addition to standing on the shoulders of the ancients, but also to have their own innovative expression after looking at the higher and farther world.
Zhang Keshan did exactly that.
In order to improve himself, in addition to continuous self-study, he also specially signed up for the sculpture class of the China Academy of Fine Arts for further study.
"After doing jade carving for a long time, I felt that my thinking was bound in a framework, and I could not get rid of the shadow of traditional jade carving, so I went to study drawing and sculpture, hoping to find a breakthrough in art, break away from the shadow, and excavate some novel creative elements."
Therefore, "A Thousand Paper Cranes" not only borrows the technique of ancient jade carving Han Eight Knives, but also breaks through the traditional aesthetics of jade carving, and integrates the elements of dotted lines and surfaces in Western art into jade carving art, forming a modern simple beauty.
In fact, innovation is not only in artistic expression, but also in artistic dissemination. Before, we always felt that art only existed in art galleries, museums and books.
And now, we can directly see Zhang Keshan's artwork on Douyin.
▲ Zhang Keshan Jade carving work "Ma Ta Jiang Shan"
When it comes to why they chose douyin as a platform, Zhang Keshan said that it is the convenience of douyin video production that allows craftsmen like them to easily share their works.
In order to better communicate directly with the jade friends, Zhang Keshan will generally open the live broadcast on Friday and interact with the jade friends in real time.
On Douyin, in addition to sharing his own jade carving works, Zhang Keshan also popularized jade knowledge to the public, such as how to enter the jade collection, how to identify mutton fat jade and so on.
▲ Zhang Keshan Jade carving work "Five Sons Dengke"
In the past, this knowledge may really have to be heard in the studio of Teacher Zhang Keshan on Suzhou Garden Road, and now you can hear the experience of the jade carving master for many years on Douyin.
What surprised Zhang Keshan was that content sharing aroused the purchase interest of many people.
Before entering the Douyin e-commerce platform, the traditional jade offline sales can only wait for random individual customers to come to the door, or the previous regular customer recommendation, the establishment of this sense of trust is actually very long and uncertain, and the epidemic in recent years has made the customers in the store visibly reduced.
▲ Teacher Zhang Keshan's jade carving works recently sold through Douyin e-commerce
"Dragon and Phoenix Chengxiang" is priced at 39800 yuan
For a long time in the past, jade carvings did not hitch a ride on the development of e-commerce because of their high price and high threshold.
However, in Douyin e-commerce, the appearance of the master himself has given consumers a reassurance pill, and the after-sales guarantee of the platform has also eliminated the worries of placing orders.
"We attach a jewelry appraisal to each order and offer a 7-day no-reason return service."
Zhang Keshan said that Douyin e-commerce has given them a particularly good display platform and brought them huge potential customers.
"After we settled in Douyin e-commerce, many of our counterparts in Suzhou will go to see our live broadcast and find that the online sales effect is good, and slowly they have also settled in Douyin e-commerce, which really brings more opportunities to our craftsmen."
▲ Zhang Keshan's small shop in the Douyin e-commerce
According to the Douyin Intangible Cultural Heritage Data Report released in June 2021, the total turnover of goods carried by non-genetic heirs on the platform increased by 15 times compared with last year.
As the relevant person in charge of Douyin e-commerce said:
"Buying and selling is the best protection, using is the best inheritance, and sharing is the best communication."
Jade, which runs through thousands of years, carries the beautiful emotions of Chinese in different eras, and now, it should be affectionate and full of meanings that have been passed down from generation to generation of Chinese people.
From April 23 to May 4, Douyin E-commerce will also open the "Douyin Trend Oriental Season" activity to bring high-quality domestic products to more consumers through short videos and live broadcasts.
When those traditional intangible cultural heritage handicrafts that are shelved, a little niche, and even gradually disappear are seen through Douyin e-commerce, is this not a practical inheritance?
▲ Zhang Keshan in carving
At the same time, the Douyin e-commerce "Looking for Companions" program will continue to pay attention to the non-genetic inheritors and craftsmen on the platform, helping non-genetic inheritors and craftsmen to get more attention and opportunities, and look for more business opportunities together.
Let more intangible cultural heritage artworks enter the homes of ordinary people, perhaps it is less of a distant distance and more of a long-term inheritance.
In this heritage, there are craftsmen who adhere to the craft, and there are fellow travelers who know how to appreciate.