Intangible cultural heritage into the screen to inherit the oriental aesthetics of the previous year
[Reported by Wang Fan, author of "China News"] "Qing Luo Tuan fan covered her shyness, full of glass and flowers full of wine."
The decorations on the characters of the film and television dramas such as the fan in the hand and the flower on the head all contain the elegant and graceful charm of ancient Chinese women, and the oriental aesthetics that has been passed down for thousands of years is also spread.
From the velvet flower headdress in "Story of Yanxi Palace", to the shadow puppets in "Yu Lou Chun", from the kite in "Qing Ping Le", to the kesi in "The Mistress of the House"... film and television dramas are implanted with intangible cultural heritage elements , has become a new trend in the creation of film and television dramas in recent years.
Through the screen, intangible cultural heritage enters the homes of ordinary people, which also explores a new way for the marketization of traditional skills.
The fluffy headdresses of the female characters in "Story of Yanxi Palace" are eye-catching.
(Photo courtesy of the interviewee)
The fan in the hand and the flower on the head are the same as the beautiful character and become a hit
As a master of arts and crafts in Jiangsu Province and a representative inheritor of Jiangsu Province's intangible cultural heritage "velvet flower making skills", Zhao Shuxian did not expect that the hit of the Qing palace drama "Story of Yanxi Palace" in 2018 made the velvet flower produced by him and his team a new Jin "net red".
Through Zhao Shuxian's skillful hands, silk and copper bars "transformed" into colorful flowers, which were worn on the heads of female characters in the play.
With the popularity of TV series, this skill that began in the Tang Dynasty not only regained its glory, but also "snatched back" a place for intangible cultural heritage projects in today's consumer market.
"The most important buyers of velvet flowers are Hanfu lovers." Zhao Shuxian introduced that after the velvet flower "out of the circle" with the film and television drama, the number of young buyers is increasing day by day. They mainly buy small-scale works such as chest accessories and headwear. The price of a single piece is about one or two hundred yuan to three or four hundred yuan (RMB, the same below).
Spreading the beauty of traditional Chinese culture and showing the wearer's good taste, velvet flower accessories have become the best choice for corporate business gifts.
Zhao Shuxian introduced that the sales of velvet flowers are currently mainly offline. They are located in the exhibition area of the Nanjing Folklore Museum and receive orders every day.
In addition, various intangible cultural heritage exhibitions and Hanfu cultural activities are the main occasions for them to "acquire".
This year, the team also began to try to enter the short video platform, hoping to let more people feel the beauty of velvet flowers with the help of new communication power.
"Our customers are not limited to southern cities." In July 2017, Zhao Shuxian sent express delivery to Gansu. So far, Nanjing Ronghua's customers have spread to all provinces in mainland China.
The intangible cultural heritage projects that have also gained more attention due to film and television dramas are also national intangible cultural heritage Kesi.
As the only weaving process that cannot be replaced by machines, the Kesi process is extremely complicated and cumbersome, and is known as "one inch of Kesi is one inch of gold".
In September 2009, Kesi was selected as a world intangible cultural heritage as a Chinese sericulture silk weaving technique.
In July 2021, the first domestic kesi-themed TV series "The Mistress of the House" made this skill "out of the circle".
Previously, there was also Kesi in "Strategy of Yanxi Palace" with edelweiss, which was a fan in the hands of female characters.
Gu Jiandong, the inheritor of the Suzhou Kesi technique, introduced that the same style fans of the concubines and concubines in the play suddenly became a "popular style".
"After the show aired, Kesi really became popular with fans. Now many young women like Kesi and traditional culture. It's not uncommon to buy 10 fans." The works are also bought by many young people.
Kesi is made of plain silk threads densely arranged on the loom as the warp threads, and the silk threads in the bamboo shuttle as the weft threads. It is time consuming and laborious to make.
Because of this, large-scale works are generally collected by museums or privately ordered, with high prices and very few shipments.
Gu Jiandong said, "Even so, there are more and more private custom customers."
'We got an American order' after the drama aired
In recent years, like the velvet flowers and kesi that came out of "Strategy of Yanxi Palace", intangible cultural heritage elements have been used to improve the quality of film and television dramas, and film and television dramas have promoted market-oriented exploration of intangible cultural heritage projects, and win-win cooperation has become a new trend in the cultural industry.
How to make good use of film and television means in creation to achieve the purpose of disseminating intangible cultural heritage?
Both Zhao Shuxian and Gu Jiandong believe that the rationalization of the plot to present intangible cultural heritage elements is the key.
"The story of Yanxi Palace" came to us and made some improvements to the fan on display in the Forbidden City to make it more practical and suitable for actors to use as a prop." It is understood that the empress's favorite yellow color in the play The group fan is Gu Jiandong's imitation of the Qianlong period court "Yellow yarn pasted silk peach tree double crane picture dyed and carved bone handle group fan", the original version is exhibited in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Gu Jiandong improved it in the form of Kesi to make the fan simpler and lighter to hold.
The soft beige color, with the atmospheric auspicious pattern, can better reflect the gentle temperament of Queen Fucha's role.
"TV dramas help the inheritance of Kesi." Gu Jiandong said that court dramas are not only loved by Chinese people, but also have a great market overseas. "We have also received orders from the United States."
The velvet flowers in "Story of Yanxi Palace" play an icing on the cake for creating dramatic conflict and enriching the characters.
The queen is cold and simple, Gao Guifei Yonghua, Wei Yingluo is light... During the preparation of "Story of Yanxi Palace", Zhao Shuxian and his apprentice spent a whole month to customize 19 styles of velvet hair accessories for the crew.
In particular, the blue velvet flower headdress on the head of Queen Fucha has become the label of the character, and it has become the same style purchased by consumers.
"The live expression of film and television has influenced more and more young people at home and abroad to pay attention to intangible cultural heritage and traditional Chinese culture." Yang Le, general manager of Huanyu Film and Television, said that after the exploration of "Story of Yanxi Palace" and "Master of the House" , the display of intangible cultural heritage has become an innovative method for Huanyu to subdivide the track in costume dramas.
In recent years, Huanyu has also incorporated dozens of intangible cultural heritage craft elements such as Beijing embroidery, filigree inlay, copper knocking, tassels, snails, silk, etc. The promotion of intangible cultural heritage technology has been realized through dramas, and many silent intangible cultural heritage industries have been promoted. Reinvigorated.
Velvet headdress made by Zhao Shuxian.
(Photo courtesy of the interviewee)
There are more possibilities for a practical "imaginative" intangible cultural heritage joint name
On the road of non-genetic inheritance, what other innovations are worth trying?
Zhao Shuxian has always been "thinking while walking".
"I don't mind cross-border co-branding with any field. The other party may not know much about the skills of velvet flowers, and their ideas are wild. And sometimes I am restricted by the craftsmanship and materials, and my ideas are imprisoned, so the two sides just neutralize and promote each other's talents. There are newer attempts."
Designed and produced a limited-edition gift box of velvet flowers for the well-known perfume brand Acqua di Parma, co-branded with the love variety show "Signal of Heart", and presented the "love signal fish" made of velvet flowers in a transparent acrylic gift box... "Nanjing velvet flowers have always been The innovation in the form of expression is more in line with the current aesthetics, so that this ancient technique can be tied more closely with the times." Zhao Shuxian said.
"Although the Kesi technique determines that the works cannot be shipped in large quantities, we have always tried to maintain a balance between quality assurance and innovative forms." Gu Jiandong focuses on practicality, focusing on small-scale works that can be carried around.
"Even if it's like a keychain, if you drink tea with friends and put it on the table, it may attract the attention of others, or even become a topic, and it will attract attention."
In addition, glasses cases, belt buckles, small handbags, etc. are all product forms that Gu Jiandong's team is trying.
The lotus and mandarin duck picture is a pattern of Kesi works that is used more in the film and television drama "The Mistress of the House".
The picture shows Gu Jiandong's Kesi work.
(Photo courtesy of the interviewee)