Due to Beijing's long history as an agrarian society, a rich and vibrant cultural heritage has been preserved. One part of this culture is the indigenous folk art and traditional handicrafts. Folk art embodies different parts of the Beijing's indigenous culture, minority languages, and philosophy.
Beijing is home to many traditional handicrafts such as paper-cuts petit-point objects, palace lanterns, fan-making, carvings, dough figurines, and sugar figurines. Yet many of these crafts may soon disappear, if the next generation of artisans does not continue to make these ancient arts.
A Japanese writer says, “The spread of modernization has pushed traditional craftsmanship away from us without being noticed. The communication between people and objects and the harmony between human and nature are also gone.” This issue bothers Beijing too.
Shichahai, with its 800-year history, traditional courtyard, and long Hutong culture, is a sightseeing destination for tourists as well as Beijingers. However, the flourishing tourism does not strengthen its unique characteristics.
Making use of the invasion of modern civilization, few folk artists in Beijing show their skills here. Nowadays, people pay particular attention to health and nutrition, therefore, those peddlers who sell food artworks are gradually disappearing, but the fantastic impressions they have created will never fade. Haunted by loneliness or emptiness, some elder Beijingers sometimes choose to stroll in the street. They know very well that they cannot come across those peddlers, yet recalling their childhood experiences will certainly bring back sweet and pleasant feelings.
In Beijing, a modern city, many traditional handicrafts can only be found in the nooks and crannies of the city that westernization has left untouched.
The skill of interior painting inside a snuff bottle is originated in Beijing, with a history of more than 200 years. Using a special hook through the top hole, skilled artists draw pictures such as figures, animals, flowers and calligraphies on the inner side of transparent opium bottles. Materials as precious as jade, crystal or agate and as common as glass or plastic can all be used to make inside paintings.
To promote the development of Beijing's traditional handicrafts, the Culture Industry Chamber of Commerce, which is a sub-branch of the Beijing Municipal Chamber of Commerce, cooperates with many of these service-oriented enterprises. Many folk artists will be hired by some companies to perform and show their skills in the shops. Each performance usually attracts a crowd of children and adolescents, and the artists can teach them some basic skills on the spot.
These activities create a favorable atmosphere for the development of traditional handicrafts, and they provide another way to further develop some folk arts on the verge of extinction.
