Yan Qun, the inheritor of Peking Opera mask painting from Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, teaches a child to paint a mask at the 2018 “Chinese New Year” Flower Fair at the Vodafone Event Centre in Auckland Feb 10, 2018. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

What also amazed the visitors was the performance of Peking Opera mask painting by Yan Qun, the inheritor of this cultural heritage from Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. Surrounded by cheerful visitors, he soon painted several masks of classic figures such as Zhangfei, Dou Erdun and the Monkey King. The moment he put down his brush, many Peaking Opera aficionados just yelled out the names of the mask figures.

You Weiling, the inheritor of the fish skin art from Heze ethnic group in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, displayed many of her art pieces made of fish skin and scale. By enjoying these exquisite artworks including paintings and traditional ethnic costumes, New Zealanders had a chance to know about the unique fish skin culture of North China’s ethnic groups that have lived by fishing for centuries.

Qi Chuanxin, the six-generation inheritor of woodblock-printed New Year paintings from Weifang city, East China’s Shandong province, performed this ancient craft for the visitors. By using woodblocks engraved with traditional techniques, a Chinese brush, some ink, and rice papers, he immediately printed several New Year-themed paintings. His performance gave the locals a taste of Chinese Lunar New Year customs.