Li Ziqi returns, bringing "lacquerware" to the fore! What is the charm of this intangible cultural heritage?

Recently, the well-known internet celebrity "Li Ziqi" publicly updated two videos on social platforms after a gap of 3 years. As soon as the videos were released, the topic #李子柒归来# became a hot search, and the lacquer video was viewed 140 million times.

The "lacquer video" has been viewed 140 million times. Source: a social platform

This new video takes the Chinese intangible cultural heritage "lacquerware" as its theme, showing the unique aesthetics and craftsmanship of Chinese lacquerware. Lacquerware then became popular and sparked discussions among netizens.

The development of lacquerware in ancient my country

"When the unicorn turns around, all worries will be gone."

After turning on the lights, the golden unicorn on the wardrobe made by Liziqi emerged, and the lacquerware was as beautiful as the starry sky.

Many media also pointed out that the skill of "carving and hiding lacquer" in the lacquerware video came from the teaching of Yin Liping, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Chengdu lacquer art. Yin Liping also said: "Li Ziqi uses her own way to make more people pay attention to this art that is on the verge of being lost."

The history of lacquerware in my country dates back thousands of years.

The Chinese ancestors discovered the magical properties of lacquer very early, and used it to protect and repair objects with its amazing viscosity and adhesion.

However, they did not stop there, but further explored the potential of lacquer liquid, combining it with various colored mineral powders to create colorful lacquers such as red, black, yellow, green, brown, white, gold, and silver. The application of these lacquers broke the monochrome and dullness of the objects and brought brilliant colors to the human world.

Lacquer goblets, lacquer jars, lacquer shafts, and a not-quite-complete black lacquer wooden bowl were unearthed from the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

During the Warring States Period, Qin and Han Dynasties, the lacquer craft became increasingly mature. The "small lacquered wooden screen" unearthed from the No. 1 Chu Tomb at Wangshanshazhong in Jiangling, Hubei and the painted lacquer box unearthed from the No. 2 Chu Tomb at Baoshan in Jingmen, Hubei, both demonstrate the pinnacle level of lacquer art during this period.

Small lacquered wood-carved screen from the Chu Dynasty

Painted lacquer box unearthed from the No. 2 Chu Tomb at Baoshan

In addition to colored lacquer, materials such as shell pearls, gold, silver, jade, etc. are also cleverly integrated into lacquerware. Lacquerware inlaid with shell pearls, such as the lacquer beans inlaid with shells from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, with its glittering appearance, enhances the magnificence and luxury of lacquerware, gives lacquerware a magical power, and appropriately expresses the authority and mystery of the ritual. The gold and silver lacquer decoration techniques such as gold and silver foil, gold and silver flat peeling, gold inlay, and gold drawing perfectly combine the brilliance of gold and silver with the warmth of lacquerware, creating amazing artistic effects.

The gold and silver flat-peeled lacquerware of the Tang Dynasty, with its exquisite craftsmanship and magnificent decoration, became the pinnacle of lacquerware craftsmanship and had a profound influence on the countries of East Asia.

Lacquer is not only a coating, but also a magical substance that can reshape materials. In order to deal with problems such as warping and peeling of the paint, the ancients invented auxiliary processes such as lacquer ash and mounting cloth, and on this basis developed new body production technologies such as ramie-clad body, elm-clad body, and ring-stacked body.

These ingenious techniques not only reshape the body of the object by changing the natural material, but also create a completely new form. Through the unique characteristics of the lacquer liquid and the integration of other materials, these techniques have achieved the reshaping of natural substances, which has far-reaching significance.

Why is lacquerware

The "top luxury" in ancient times?

After watching Li Ziqi's video, some people couldn't help but sigh: It requires such complicated craftsmanship, no wonder lacquerware is the "top luxury" in ancient my country. Yes, but there are more reasons why lacquerware is expensive.

1

The output of raw lacquer is small and the price is expensive

Lacquer tree, this magical deciduous tree, can produce lacquer liquid as precious as "golden water" and is the basis of lacquerware making.

Lacquer trees that have been cut in the mountains of Enshi. Copyright image. Reproduction may cause copyright disputes

However, raw lacquer is the main raw material for making lacquerware, and its low output and high price will greatly affect the price of lacquerware.

First, lacquer trees are subject to great geographical restrictions and can only be planted in specific environments. The quality of raw lacquer produced by lacquer trees cultivated under different temperatures, humidity and soils is also different.

Secondly, the amount of lacquer produced by lacquer trees is originally very small. As the saying goes, it takes a thousand cuts to make a pound of lacquer. Lacquer harvesting is restricted by specific seasons. Each lacquer tree can only produce a specific amount of raw lacquer, and excessive harvesting is not allowed.

Third, it is difficult to cut lacquer. Lacquer trees generally grow in high mountains and forests, and it is difficult and dangerous to go into the mountains to cut lacquer. In addition, raw lacquer is likely to cause human allergies, and cutting lacquer is extremely inconvenient. In Li Ziqi's video, we saw that she had a severe allergy when she first came into contact with raw lacquer.

Image source: A social platform

Fourth, the number of lacquer farmers has decreased. In recent years, farmers have earned a lot of money by working outside, but lacquer cutting is hard and tiring, and the income is not high. Many lacquer farmers are no longer keen on cutting lacquer, which has greatly reduced the number of lacquer farmers and the output of lacquer cutting has also decreased accordingly.

Raw lacquer is difficult to harvest, has low production and high cost, so its price is higher than that of chemical lacquer on the market. However, this is due to the scarcity of raw lacquer resources, small supply and high labor costs, and the price cannot be reduced to the level of large-scale chemical lacquer.

2

Lacquerware production is time-consuming and demanding

Lacquerware is expensive to produce, so its selling price is naturally high.

The main products using raw lacquer are lacquerware and lacquer paintings, which are mainly handmade with exquisite skills, but the output is not large. The production process of lacquerware is very complicated, from wood selection, manual carving, polishing and painting to painting. If there is a problem in any link, the whole lacquerware work will be scrapped .

For a piece of lacquerware to be released, not only the materials need to be carefully selected, but the skill of the craftsman is also very important .

Lacquerware is best dried naturally in the shade. The lacquer layer of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty lacquerware needs at least dozens of coats of lacquer to reach a thickness suitable for carving, and some need hundreds or even tens of coats of lacquer. Ordinary painted lacquerware or plain lacquerware needs at least ten coats of lacquer from the initial body to the completion. The drying time of each scraping of lacquer extends the production time of a lacquerware, and the number of lacquer layers also represents the value and service life of a lacquerware.

In addition to these, whether a piece of lacquerware is loved by people also depends on the decoration of the lacquerware, such as lacquer painting, carving, etc. Only masters with many years of skills can skillfully depict it. Different lacquer arts have different levels of complexity, and the production of a lacquerware must be time-consuming and long.

Finally, I wish that our lacquerware, as the shining pearl of Chinese civilization, will continue to shine with charming light and show the unique charm of Chinese culture to the world.

References

[1] Liu Fei, Zhang Yanru, Yang Ning. SWOT analysis and Porter's five forces model analysis based on the raw lacquer industry [J]. China Raw Lacquer, 2014, 33(03): 48-53.

Planning and production

Author: Dr. Chen Dian, Archaeology/Yinuo Popular Science Writer

Review | Pan Yu, a well-known museologist, anthropologist, and university professor

Planning丨Yinuo

Editor: Yinuo

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin