Baigongfang: The Art of Preserving Craft

The carpet weaver sits low down near the floor, pulling and tying wool in figure-of-eight knots across the strings of the carpet loom. The glassware maker lights a blowtorch and fashions an ancient dragon from a slender opaque tube of glass. Dishes of colour pigment topple and tilt, and cram for space, around a table where pieces of bare cloisonné are painstakingly worked and coloured. Exquisite gold and silver filigree lies stretched and twisted on a wooden workbench.

All is extraordinary, beautiful and rare to see.

A visit to the Baigongfang craft centre is a wonderful yet humbling experience. Providing space for 102 masters of their diverse crafts, a visitor can observe the intimate setting of the artist working on their subject, an opportunity that allows a moment to consider the real value of handmade art.

Here, everyday, between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm, craftsmen and women throw open the doors of their studios with the purpose of shedding more light on a cultural sector that is suffering an acknowledged decline. The invitation is not, as can generally be assumed elsewhere, simply about retailing. There is a very genuine concern that the art of craft in China is disappearing and must be protected. Baigongfang's mission is to oversee that protection.

Chongwen District is traditionally associated with craft making, for imperial commissions during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as well as for local folk art. The presence now of the new craft collective is fitting and meaningful to those working in the space as it carries on and aims to preserve a tradition and art form.

Concern over job losses in the sector as well as an almost audible decline of production in recent years, compared to China's craft belle epoch of the 1970s, prompted Beijing Municipal Government to act. Under the leadership of Beijing Industry Promotion Bureau, Beijing Arts and Crafts Association and Beijing Arts and Crafts Research Centre, it established Baigongfang. The facility opened in November of last year.

As well as housing craft studios, an exhibition and lecture space provide further opportunity for the centre to promote and rekindle interest in craftwork.

Why exactly the decline has occurred is a matter of debate, but evidence does suggest that part of it can be attributed to a break in the link of family artistic vocations. Today, many young people no longer see it as feasible to consider an occupation that has associations with artistic poverty. Indeed, in the past, being a craft artist often meant being poorer than others. By regenerating enthusiasm for the sector, the centre hopes to revitalize the industry. By focusing on the discipline and process of the craft, positive changes will undoubtedly take place.

Extraordinary feelings arise when you watch the glassware maker, a middle-aged woman, twist and melt pieces of coloured glass into a miniature green-leaf vegetable, through the cool, blue flame of her blowtorch. However, this delicate and magical process has been hit by a dwindling market for years. Glassware has really not been in vogue for some time. But as the centre bluntly points out, it needs to be, otherwise it will be lost. This woman is a rare practitioner of the craft in China. The tradition of making glassware by hand  is actually endangered.

Elsewhere, less altruistic feelings come from the overwhelming joy of watching a carpet being made on a hand-knotting loom. While not so endangered, this craft has about it the intimacy of things homespun; many children learn in early age how to make something not unlike a carpet out of cardboard and coloured wool. A carpet loom though requires more patience than a five or six year old has and the value of these carpets is determined by how many knots of wool are tied per square inch. It's a valid measure of the incredible hard work handmade carpets require.

At this remarkable centre, you encounter model makers, tapestry artists, cloisonné (please see next page for detailed introduction) and silk-figurine masters. There are people working on lacquer and goldleaf screens, many inlaid with semi-precious stones. There are lacquer-carving artists working on wood and copper, meticulously revealing exquisite art forms and fabulous shades of red on tiny boxes, cabinets and huge vases. It's extraordinary to be able to see these exquisite creations take shape in front of your eyes.

As a base for the protection of traditional Chinese craft, Baigongfang provides a unique opportunity to experience Chinese art culture in a way that has largely remained unchanged for generations. While adapting to attract the interests of the young, like the work of the fist calligrapher that received plenty of media attention, the emphasis is on preserving traditional technique, with traditional form often meeting contemporary tastes.

Baigongfang's aim is to overcome a period of uncertainty for the craft practitioner. The effort of making a visit to this inspirational space is well rewarded for all lovers of art and craft.

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Open: 9:30am  4:30pm

Add: 12 B Guangming Lu, Chongwen District

崇文区光明路乙12号（大宝饭店对面，左安门内大与光明路交叉口） 

Tel: 6718-2822, 6712-6612