UNESCO staff savors the charm of Chinese woodblock printing
A UNESCO staff member experiences the art of Chinese woodblock painting with his own hands on Oct 20. [Photo by Chen Yichen/Xinhua]
Wei Lizhong, inheritor of woodblock painting technique and curator of Hangzhou Shizhuzhai Art Museum demonstrated the Chinese art to international diplomats at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, France on Oct 20.
People were invited to try their hands at creating woodblock paintings.
Shizhuzhai printing from Hangzhou represents ancient Chinese printing in its finest form. Founded by Hu Zhengyan in the late Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the art studio was the place where colored overprinting technique was invented. This technique marked the peak of Chinese printing and later had a profound impact on the birth and development of Ukiyo-e paintings in Japan.
Wei has spent over 20 years creating woodcuts in the Shizhuzhai printing tradition, which the Ministry of Culture inscribed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Currently, he spends more time promoting than practicing the folk art. An example of that was the short course he taught at the Prince's School of Traditional Art in London, Britain in February.
A woman displays her woodblock painting at the UNESCO headquarters on Oct 20. [Photo by Chen Yichen/Xinhua]