Wen Jing, born in the 90s, who was supposed to be an ordinary female college student, unexpectedly became a jade carving master. Not only did she worked diligently, absorbed in better jade carving, she also made a splash with the help of TikTok, a Chinese-owned short-video app. Aiming to favor her fans and friends fond of the Marvel film, just like her, Wen Jing started to carve the jade version of Iron Man.
The jade carving Iron Man needs to be full of power. For the craftswoman who was accustomed to create flat bas-relief works, three-dimensional jade carving would be her hard nut to crack. It has been 10 years since Wen Jing exposed to the jade carving, and gradually specialized in the design and production of character pendants. In 2014, her own studio was established. At the same time, her jade carving works have won the Excellence Award of Shengong Awards for many times. However,Wen Jing, the veteran jade carving craftswoman, would never stop challenging herself in perfecting her skills.
Among abundant oldest carvings in China, jade carving has been passed down for at least five thousand years ever since its birth in the Neolithic Age. In 2008, jade carving was included on the second batch of China Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and also enjoyed worldwide reputation then. It may seen surprising to assert that the genesis of the fact that although there are many jade carvers in China, most of them are males lurks in two factors: one is that the craftsmanship of jade carvings is extremely complicated; another involves their inferior working condition compared with those white-collars. Chances are so rarer that a female like Wen Jing can persist perfecting her skills, and even later become master-level jade carvers, which demonstrates how tough to cultivate a superb jade carver. Yet this post-90s girl spies a silver lining. Rather than simply making a living of jade carving,Wen Jing preserved this ancient Chinese workmanship out of her genuine love.
The “soft beauty” of the East collides with the “structural beauty” of the West while Wen Jing carve the unique jade version of Iron Man.”Meaning” and “form”, representing the two totally different Chinese and Western civilizations, are blended and reborn in this master’s magic hands, which widens her horizon as well. Through this challenge, a major breakthrough in the subject matter selection of the traditional jade carving craft has been achieved. This craft will better meets the needs of the market.
Besides, as one of Chinese intangible cultural heritages, jade carvings will flourish, ushering in a new age of exploration. What Wen Jing expected to announce is that the art of jade carving requires not only inheritance, but innovation. As an example of injecting fresh blood into Chinese traditional art to let it long outlive the people, Wen Jing has done a great job. This is Wen Jing’s mission and the responsibility of every traditional craftsman.
(Syndicated press content is neither written, edited or endorsed by ED Times)
Read more:
Meet This Millennial Activist Fighting The Pandemic In Unheard Slums Of Dehradun
