Seeing the light

Referencing historical texts, Wang has to make 500 cuts per day to the lantern's exterior, and the gap between each one has to be less than a millimeter.

"There are essentially two types of lights in the world: lights for others and lights for oneself. The lights made for others are hung outside and turned off after they've served their purpose. The lights made for oneself are placed in one's heart and are always luminous," Wang says.

His story is recorded in the documentary, The Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou, which premiered in cinemas on July 10.

The documentary focuses on 12 representative artisans of Suzhou, who specialize in nine regional handicraft styles. They vary in age and area of expertise, but all have dedicated their lives to protecting and passing down these arts and crafts.

Apart from lantern making, the crafts portrayed include Songjin brocade, Su embroidery, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) furniture and olive pit carving.

These styles only offer a sneak peek of Suzhou's intangible cultural heritage, as the city, since ancient times, has been a hub of folk crafts. It was listed by UNESCO in its Creative Cities Network in 2014 as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts.