古风复刻，走近团扇制作达人李晶 - 2016年08月05日

IN this modern age of technology, keeping cool on a hot day usually means air conditioning or an electric fan. Our ancestors had no such luxuries. They had to rely on hand-held fans fluttered in front of their faces to create breeze and induce evaporation.

The fans of old times have become the handicraft icons of today, and those who still engage in this ancient tradition are masters of the art. Like Li Jing.

Li, who is approaching 30, has a studio in a Suzhou courtyard where he makes and repairs traditional round fans. The studio, opened in 2013, is called Shixianju, which means “residence for leisure.”

“The round fan is the epitome of many traditional Chinese handicrafts, including water and ink painting, embroidery and inlay,” says Li. “Besides, the fans are really beautiful.”

Li majored in business administration as an undergraduate but took up art design for his master’s degree studies. While in college, he developed a great interest in Peking Opera and had the chance to learn about it from a master named Ye Shenghua.

As part of the process, he gained access to Peking Opera costumes and accessories and studied the techniques used to make them. The round fan used in traditional operas particularly caught his fancy.

“My initial interest was in folding fans, but then I became obsessed with kesi (缂丝), or Chinese silk tapestry, which is frequently used in round fans,” he says. “So my interest turned to that.”

At the time, Li was also an avid collector of small antiques, and hand-held fans fit nicely into his hobby. Many of the fans he found were damaged, so he taught himself how to do repair work.

Li didn’t strictly follow the rule of “restoring the old as the old.” Rather, he tried to combine traditional Chinese handicrafts skills with modern methods that strengthened the fans. Kesi silk remained a favorite material.

Kesi is a technique in silk tapestry known for its lightness and clarity of pattern. Its name comes from the appearance of cut threads created by the use of color in the designs, which are often pictures copied from classic paintings.

In kesi works, each color area is woven from a separate bobbin. Therefore, it is a very time-consuming process. There is an idiom saying that “an inch of kesi is worth an ounce of gold.”

The technique first appeared in Suzhou during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and survived through the end of Chinese dynasties. Kesi works were prized by men of letters in ancient China. For example, Cao Xueqin (1715-63), author of one of China’s four great literary classics, “A Dream of Red Mansions,” vividly described a garment made of kesi silk.

“Kesi is the best for copying calligraphy and paintings because it allows a very smooth change between colors,” explains Li. “Besides, kesi works have the exact same look on both sides, making it ideal for round fans.”

Water and ink paintings created from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) are particular favorites in Li’s designs. Birds, flowers, fish and insects were the main themes of the paintings.

Li says he collected all the kesi silk cloth he loved in a closet. He designed the patterns and trusted the embroidery to kesi masters in Suzhou. It could take them up to two weeks to do a work, which often made him impatient.

“Sometimes I couldn’t sleep well during the waiting time,” he says. “It felt like waiting to see a lover, and I kept wishing that time would pass faster.”

Apart from kesi, Li also uses such materials as yarn and ordinary silk to make fans. The key point is how the pattern is designed.

“It is not the case that the more complicated the pattern, the more beautiful the fan,” he notes. “The composition of the pattern decides if the fan goes well with the frame and ornamentation.”

The frame, rib and pendant of a fan are equally important to Li. His aim is to create a harmonious piece of work. This is where Li’s antique collection comes into play.

Take the pendants for example. Li tried different ornaments from his collection, including silverware, jade and ox horn. To him, there is nothing more beautiful than a silk fan surface with an antique pendant and a rib made from mottled bamboo.

“I never care about the cost,” he says. “I just want to make the most beautiful fan I can. It’s all about passion and love.”

The artistry of his work has not gone unnoticed. In Li’s online store on Taobao.com, China’s biggest e-commerce platform, his fans are priced anywhere from 300 yuan (US$45) to 28,800 yuan.

The most expensive fan is one imitating the style of what the royal family used in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The kesi-silk fan is embroidered with three peonies. A handmade pure gold ornament decorates the top of the fan, and the rib is made according to a lacquering technique of the Qing Dynasty. The work contains authentic Suzhou embroidery.

“My customers usually have the same obsession as I do,” he says. “And they have the money to indulge their passions. It is gratifying to find people with whom I can share an appreciation of the art of round fans.”

Last year, Chinese supermodel Liu Wen did a group of pictures for Bazaar China, and several round fans she held for the fashion shoot were eye-catching. They were all produced by Li.

Despite such outward appearances of acceptance, Li worries that the art of hand-making round fans will eventually die out if younger generations answer history’s call and abandon ancient techniques.

“I believe that traditional handcrafts should not be forgotten nor should they be worshiped,” Li says. “We should find a balance in the middle. The art of handcrafts should be respected, yet items such as these must relate to the daily lives of people.”

Suzhou is an ideal place to practice this ancient craft because it is a city with such a strong cultural core, he adds.

“All the artisans here have their own unique talents and techniques, and having so many of them in one place inspires us all,” Li concludes.