Masterpieces on display represent the country’s arts and crafts development over the past 70 years, Yang Feiyue reports.
A coral sculpture featuring a six-armed standing Buddha holding a chain that tightly restrains a dragon, two boxwood figurines fashioned after a model worker and a Red Army soldier, and a set of cloisonne trophies bearing images of athletes in various sports and traditional motifs, such as entwined lotus patterns, tell tales of China’s history.
The Buddha and dragon work symbolize Yellow River flood protection and realignment during the early days following the founding of the People’s Republic of China, while the model worker and Red Army soldier depict the fervent socialist construction era and arduous journey of the revolutionary war period from the 1920s to the 1940s, says Wang Jingjing, deputy general manager of the Beijing Gongmei Group and curator of the exhibition, being held at the Beijing Arts and Crafts Museum until Feb 28.
The exhibition Walking With Time: Beijing Gongmei (1954-2024) is hosted by the Beijing Gongmei Group, a major force behind the country’s arts and crafts development for the past 70 years.
The objects exhibited were created by experienced artisans and are among dozens of masterpieces on display that showcase the inheritance and development of China’s arts and crafts for the past 70 years.
The exhibition is meticulously planned — exhibits were widely sourced, systematically tracing the 70-year developmental journey of arts and crafts, says Chairman of the group Duan Tiyu.
“It carefully selected the most representative achievements to showcase the remarkable accomplishments and profound impact of the Beijing Gongmei Group in the field of arts and crafts from a comprehensive and multifaceted perspective,” Duan says.
The cloisonne trophies were intended for the country’s second National Games in Beijing in 1965, Wang says.
“They are among the masterpieces that transcend time and space, connecting the past with the future and bearing witness to the nation’s remarkable progress,” she adds.