"Women's Craftsmanship, Light of the Heart: A Public Welfare Project for Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance" launched recently in Shanghai. The event featured guests including national-level inheritors and emerging young inheritors who have dedicated decades to their respective fields. Representing eight prestigious intangible cultural heritage categories, they showcased Su Embroidery, Gu Embroidery, Cloisonné, Lacquerware Carving, Beijing Embroidery, Shanghai Paper Cutting, Luchou Weaving, and Nixing Pottery. These crafts bring stories to life with needle as pen and thread as ink; cut through time and space with scissors as blade and paper as canvas; or forge enduring brilliance with copper as bone and glaze as color.
During the keynote session, Ma Shengde, Chair of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of the China Cultural Industry Promotion Association; Yao Jianping, a national-level inheritor of Su Embroidery (a National Intangible Cultural Heritage); Xi Xiaoqin, a national-level inheritor of Shanghai Paper Cutting (a National Intangible Cultural Heritage); Wang Shuqin, Chairman of Shanxi Luanfu Lu Silk Weaving Group and inheritor of the "Lu Silk Weaving Technique" (a National Intangible Cultural Heritage); and Zhu Jingbo, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, showcased the history and evolution of intangible cultural heritage from diverse perspectives. They shared their personal journeys in preserving these crafts, highlighting how female inheritors' resilience and delicacy safeguard ancient wisdom on the brink of extinction.
Their palms bear calluses, their eyes shine with light. For generations, female inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) have persevered in solitude, using the warmth of their fingertips to craft vivid Chinese stories. In the dialogue "ICH Inheritance and Female Empowerment," host Zhang Lili, Vice Dean of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts at Shanghai University, joined Ma Shengde, President of the ICH Professional Committee of China Culture Industry Promotion Association; Yin Xiuyun, National Representative Inheritor of the Lacquerware Technique and a Master of Chinese Art and Craft; Qian Yufang, National Representative Inheritor of Gu Embroidery; Liu Jian, Regional Representative Inheritor of Ni Xing Pottery Firing Techniques; and Qian Zhangfan, Deputy Research Librarian at Shanghai ICH Protection Center. Together, they discussed the original intentions and passion behind women's commitment to preserving and passing on craftsmanship, while clarifying the direction and pathways for balancing tradition with innovation in ICH inheritance. In the dialogue "New Scenarios for ICH," host Zhang Lili engaged with Zhang Ying, National Representative Inheritor of Cloisonné Enamel Technique; Tian Li, Fifth-Generation National Representative Inheritor of Beijing Embroidery; Shi Qinling, District-Level ICH Inheritor of Shanghai Paper Cutting; AI digital artist Wang Yue; and musical theater performer Zhang Zhihan. This session sparked an exchange of ideas and a dialogue of craftsmanship, deepening public understanding of ICH through themes of "preservation vs. breakthrough," "old vs. new," and "tradition vs. future."
From 8/8 to 8/15, the limited-time exhibition "Women's Craftsmanship, Light of the Heart: Living Intangible Heritage Performances and Hands-On Experiences" is open to the public. From the delicate embroidery of Jiangnan water towns to the intricate brocades of imperial splendor, from the nimble paper-cutting artistry at your fingertips to the shimmering enamel craftsmanship, this showcase goes beyond mere display—it carries forward a living historical legacy. Visitors can learn directly from inheritors, threading needles by hand, closely observing masterpieces, and truly experiencing the passing down of skill and spirit, feeling the quiet focus of the "Light of the Heart."