Traditional Chinese Art Forms
Art Form↕ | Medium↕ | Origin Dynasty↕ | Chinese Name↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Calligraphy | Brush and ink on rice paper | Shang dynasty (c. 1600 BCE) | Shufa | Considered the highest art form in China, styles include seal, clerical, regular, running and cursive |
Ink Wash Painting | Brush, ink and silk or paper | Tang dynasty (7th century) | Shuimohua | Landscape (shanshui) tradition, mountain and water scenes, literati painters like Wang Wei and Mi Fu |
Jianzhi (Paper Cutting) | Red paper and scissors | Han dynasty (2nd century) | Jianzhi | Folk art displayed at Lunar New Year, window decorations, UNESCO intangible heritage |
Jade Carving | Nephrite and jadeite stone | Neolithic (c. 5000 BCE) | Yudiao | Jade valued above gold, bi discs and cong tubes from Liangzhu culture, Qing emperors collected masterpieces |
Porcelain | Kaolin clay | Tang dynasty (7th century) | Ciqi | Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain exported globally, Ming and Qing wares are auction record holders |
Cloisonne | Copper with enamel inlay | Yuan dynasty (13th century) | Jingtailan | Peaked during Ming Jingtai reign, wire-bent patterns filled with colored glass paste, then fired |
Silk Embroidery | Silk thread on silk | Zhou dynasty (c. 1000 BCE) | Cixiu | Four famous schools Su, Shu, Xiang and Yue, double-sided embroidery from Suzhou is legendary |
Shadow Puppetry | Translucent leather puppets | Han dynasty (2nd century BCE) | Piying | Earliest form of movie theatre, stories projected onto screens with oil lamps, UNESCO heritage |
Chinese Opera Masks | Face paint and masks | Tang dynasty (8th century) | Lianpu | Peking opera face painting, colors denote character: red for loyal, white for treacherous, black for brave |
Bronze Ritual Vessels | Cast bronze | Shang dynasty (c. 1500 BCE) | Qingtongqi | Shang and Zhou ding tripods and gui bowls used in ancestor worship, covered in taotie animal masks |
Lacquerware | Tree sap lacquer on wood | Warring States period (5th century BCE) | Qiqi | Carved cinnabar red lacquer, tixi swirl patterns, technique spread to Japan and Korea |
Kite Making | Bamboo and silk or paper | Eastern Zhou (6th century BCE) | Fengzheng | Weifang city is the world kite capital, ornate bird and dragon kites, originally used for signaling in war |
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