Lynspirations: Fu @ Hong Bao River (Feb 2011)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Fu @ Hong Bao River (Feb 2011)

Yesterday I went past the Hong Bao River.

This is one of the national events in Singapore that gets some highlights in the national telecast news.

I got a Fu ( 福 ) there for my dad.

Click on the pictures to see them in the normal size

This is what it says at the back of the picture (spelling errors amended ;p).

The Fourth Generation of Chinese Paper Cutting Families - Mr Zhang Fanglin

Mr Zhang Fanglin, comes from four generations of paper cutting families. He is the son of Mr Zhang Jigen, a well-known master artist of paper cutting. Zhang Fanglin has taken up paper cutting for more than 40 years. He has been conferred the Title of the First-Rate Artist of Folk Arts and Crafts by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The Light Industry Ministry of Jiangsu Province has granted him the celebrity of Arts and Crafts of Arts and Crafts, a member of Chinese Folk Artist's Association, a director of Chinese Research Institute of Folk Paper Cutting, the director of Folk Art committee of East-West Artist's Association, the artist of Folk Research Institute of Nanjing University, and a senior artist of Nanjing Arts and Crafts Controlling Company.
On the mission by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Minister of Culture of the People's Reublic of China, the Ministry of Light Industry, and the National Tourism Administration, etc, and with the invitations from the foreign friendly organisations of tourism, culture, high education arts colleges he has been to the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, France, Thailand, Korean and Hong Kong. During his stay in these countries and regions, he demonstrated and gave lectures on the fine art of Chinese paper cutting.
His paper cutting makings attended many exhibitions such as China Arts and Crafts Exhibition China paper Cutting Exhibition, Jiangsu Gold Cup Arts Exhibition Modern Art and Craft Designs Exhbition and won excellence awards at these exhibitions. Mr Zhang got his paper cutting designs published in many domestic and foreign new papers and magazines.

Did a search and this is an article on his works:

http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/05/26/1321@361879_1.htm

Nanjing papercutting together with cloud brocades and sculpture are considered the three craft treasures of the country's former southern capital city. Zhang Fanglin, in his late 50s, is a fourth-generation descendant of Nanjing's "Magic Scissors Zhang," a master papercutter.
Years ago, when Zhang Fanglin gave a papercutting demonstration in the city's Shangxi Road Square, people were amazed at his fine art. They asked if his technique was Yangzhou style, which features novel and pretty design, soft and vigorous lines. They were quite surprised when he told them his papercuts were done in Nanjing's own more vivid and full-form style. At present, Nanjing papercutting is listed on Jiangsu Province's intangible cultural heritage list and anticipates being added to the national list.
As one of the representatives of Nanjing-style papercutting, Zhang Fanglin was conferred as a "First Rate Artist of Folk Arts and Crafts" by UNESCO, the scientific and cultural organzation of the United Nations. He hails from a papercutting family, the son of Zhang Jigen, a well-known late papercutting master artist. The younger Zhang has been doing papercutting for more than 40 years.

Some of his featured designs: