During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Beijing Masters was given to Juan Antonio Samaranch as a gift from the China Travel & Tourism Press.

 

The passion of protecting these “human treasures” propelled her to not only pursue an MA in Chinese intangible cultural heritage protection at China Arts Academy, but also to insist on interviewing those leading practitioners, sole inheritors and other craftsmen of arts in Beijing, resulting in a total of nearly 50 articles which were later compiled in a book. Comprising fantastic crafts made for the Imperial Palace, as well as Beijing’s folk handicrafts, Beijing Masters vividly introduces Beijing crafts by describing the traditional handicrafts’ origins, historical background, manufacturing process and the personal stories of the artists behind the work.

"I hope this book will give craftsmen confidence, so that they and their descendants can continue to do their work. I hope these crafts can be developed and acquire support from various aspects. I hope the increasing number of people can become concerned about the crafts, so that the traditional cultural heritage will gradually keep going," Chen Xiaorong said.

In an increasingly modernized and globalized world, the book carefully sketches the contours of old Beijingers’ crafts, reflecting their histories and life philosophies, with one stroke after another creating a painting. It provides Chinese people with a strong sense of identity and continuity, and introduces the Chinese national ethos and characters to foreign readers. By creating such a work of art, Beijing Masters inherits and preserves Chinese treasures in a different but meaningful way.

By Wen Yi

Contact the writer at wenyi@chinadaily.com.cn