By Yuling Chen, EDITOR

At 2018 Chongqing (International) Cultural Industry Expo, Cheng Tiande, a national inheritor of Chongqing lacquerware, will exhibit his works for visitors to have a glimpse of the traditional technique in Chongqing, China.

Cheng Tiande, China's national inheritor of Chongqing lacquer painting, focuses on his works. (Photo from CNTV)

The Palace Museum, China National Arts & Crafts Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London have collected some of Cheng’s works.

“The history of Chongqing lacquerware can date back to Shang and Zhou dynasties more than 2,0000 years ago. Then Chongqing was among the four famous cities for lacquerware, and the rest three were today’s Beijing, Fuzhou and Yangzhou.” The lacquerware inheritor said.

In 1980s, many foreign visitors came to China and Chongqing lacquerware has attracted them for its delicate technique, local feature and portability. Moreover, the country has selected lacquer works as presents for foreign guests.

The master of lacquer works introduced, “ Chongqing lacquer art can be divided into lacquerware and lacquer painting. Lacquerware was once a main source for Chongqing’s foreign trade and lacquer painting is evolved from  furniture and compound decorations, and later has become a kind of painting.

Cheng Tiande’s paintings contain elements of people, flowers, mountains and rivers. He not only uses classic techniques, such as grind color paint, mother-of-pearl inlay and eggshell inlay, but also explores a new technique, adding new radiance to ancient Chongqing lacquerware.

In his eyes, Cheng desperately wants to take apprentices as many as he can, in a bid to carry forward the traditional technique and make it prevail nationwide and beyond.

Source: CQCB