Traditional art, modern incentives

At the exhibition held during the Confucius cultural festival, several artists created Confuciusthemed handicrafts to pay their respects to the great Chinese philosopher.

Li Yinfeng, from Weifang city in Shandong, displayed at the exhibition an image of Confucius done using Lu embroidery.

Lu embroidery is the general name for embroidery produced in Shandong province, and has been marked out by the government as national-level intangible cultural heritage. It has a history of more than 2,000 years.

As a typical representative of local culture in Shandong, Lu embroidery is one of the eight famous embroidery in China.

"I spent two years embroidering the sage and used human hair to embroider his eyebrows, hair and beard," says Li.

To make Confucius' face vivid, Li embroidered seven layers, each using different techniques and thread colors.

She started learning embroidery from her grandmother and mother when she was 6, and has been refining the technique for over three decades.

Li has also been integrating modern design concepts and innovative stitching with traditional craftsmanship in her customized work.

"Our customized Chinese traditional costumes bear embroidery made according to clients' characteristics, such as their personality and body shape, and are well-received by the market," says Li.

At another stall, Li Jinbo, an inheritor of Gaomi county's unique paper-cutting techniques — also recognized by the government as intangible cultural heritage — spent eight hours cutting out a bust of Confucius.

"The most difficult part is cutting the thick beard. I can't make any tears while cutting it," he says.

The paper-cutter uses a special method to attach the delicate paper images to fans and screens, purchased by festivalgoers as souvenirs.

"Our traditional culture can be better cherished and promoted when we bring it into our daily lives," the craftsman says, adding that he is developing more ways to promote paper-cutting techniques, including offering free classes in schools.