Chinese Arts and Crafts

Chinese Arts and Crafts is an important part of the China's extremely rich civilization and art heritage. It is as extensive as any in the world. Each section of China had its own styles, and the entire output was enormous for both family and community use. There are many varied and wonderful arts and crafts associated with the Chinese culture that we will be going into in this section, exploring how they reflect of the people of China as a nation. Here is a brief introduction to the main elements, including the crafts of Chinese Embroidery, Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese music and opera, Chinese Folk Toys and Bronze Vessels. Also, the section explores the arts of Painting, Cloisonne, Kite making, Paper-cutting, Lacquer Ware, Porcelain, Pottery, Seals, Jade and Silk.

Chinese Calligraphy is a unique form of writing which is greatly valued in China. Over the years and many dynasties it has developed and changed into the stylized form it is currently in today. Chinese Music has also developed into its current form over the course of history, with the use of musical instruments dating back from between 7,000 and 8,000 years ago. Bronze vessels are some of the works that display China's journey from the Stone age to the Bronze age around 5,000 years ago.Chinese Folk Toys are prized as embodiments of of history, art and culture in a educational form.Chinese Embroidery is an art that originated in the Shang dynasty and has since formed four traditional styles of Su, Shu, Xiang and Yue. Chinese Opera counts itself as one of

the three oldest dramatic art forms currently in the world. Chinese Painting contains three genres with distinctive characteristics, of figures, landscapes and birds and flowers. Cloisonne is an art form that has produced many fine items, with the primary colour blue being especially valued in these works.Jade has many different connotations in Chinese culture, symbolizing merit and status over a 4,000 year history.Kites are prized in Chinese culture because of their delicacy and the skill involved in making them out of paper and bamboo, as well as for the versatility of a form which can take numerous shapes, such as swallows, butterflies, centipedes and other creatures.