“Charm of Black and Red: Beauty of Lacquerwares from the Chu State during Han Dynasty”Appreciation of Cultural Relics for Senior Members at Hunan Provincial Museum

Chinese lacquerware is a precious gem in the treasure house of the ancient Chinese civilization. It plays an important role in the history of Chinese arts and crafts. Hunan province boasts of thousands of lacquerwares from the Chu State during Han Dynasty, with over 600 lacquerwares unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tombs. In order to facilitate and enhance senior members’ understanding of lacquerwares, a special activity entitled “Charm of Black and Red: Beauty of Lacquerwares from the Chu State during Han Dynasty” was held at the VIP Room, second floor of the New Exhibition Building, Hunan Provincial Museum at 10:00 AM on May 21st. This appreciation of cultural relics was exclusive to senior members of Hunan Provincial Museum.

In this activity, senior members followed the guidance of Nie Fei, an expert on lacquerware research in Hunan Provincial Museum. They listened with great attention to Nie Fei’s introduction on the craftsmanship of lacquerware, its historical background and so on. Meanwhile, they feasted their eyes on the beauty of the precious treasures on display. When the expert introduced the superb craftsmanship of Lacquer Tripod with Cloud Design, the senior members were quite amazed.

Nie Fei is introducing the lacquerware

After the appreciation of those breathtaking lacquerwares, senior members learned about the craftsmanship of lacquerware design introduced by Gong Shaozu, an expert on lacquerware design in Hunan Provincial Museum. Mr. Gong took out the tools and papers for lacquerware design and rolled out the finished lacquerware designs, at which the senior members marveled. “This is a job demanding much technique. It must take a long time to finish one lacquerware design like this, no wonder such delicate and beautiful designs”, said Tang Min with amazement, who is the general director of Hunan Shanshui Travel Agency.

Mr. Gong is introducing the craftsmanship of lacquerware design to senior members

Senior members had learned a lot in this one-hour activity. One of the senior members named Liu Songlin, a division chief in the Provincial Department of Finance expressed his honor to take part in this activity. He also expressed his concern that modern Chinese people should learn this craftsmanship since nowadays lacquerwares are rarely used in our daily lives, but only for display.