By OGP Reporters / OGP File Photos
Oh Good Party
The book "Masters of Chinese Arts and Crafts Zhou Changxing - Miniature" is China's "National Publication Fundation", published by Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House in 2012. Chinese miniature art can be traced back to 5,000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor period. Ancient books in the pre-Qin Dynasty in China, like "Zhuangzi", “Lie Zi” have been documented miniature. Since the end of Qing Dynasty, Yu xiaoxuan created ivory micro-carving called “a grain of rice.” And the development of contemporary miniature art has a precise high micro level, which highlights humans’ creativity and superb skills when challenging the limit. We believe master Zhou is the most amazing. The “Miniature Art” is listed as “the master of Chinese arts and crafts” after 2006 from master Zhou Changxing. The National Development and Reform Commission of China has specially item for Mr. Zhou and his miniature art. This book records the master Zhou's life, skills, works, and artistic evaluation of it, objectively reflects master Zhou's artistic trajectory and craft achievements.
Zhou Changxing is the famous Master of Chinese Miniature Art, and Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts. His nickname is Shi Wen, which means the old man of stones. He was born in 1931, in Zhangzhou, Zhejiang. Since he was 9 years old, he was self-taught how to make bamboo weavings and carvings. After that he has devoted on the miniature craftsmanship more than 70 years, and many of his miniature works gain great reputations of the whole world. Additional, he also has outstanding achievements in literature, calligraphy, painting and epigraphy. His masterpieces include “Miniature Furnishings of Dream of the Red Chamber series" and "China's Treasure" curio, etc.
The relevant reports of his works have been successively published in the "Shanghai Cultural Yearbook" in 1988 and 1989, and the overseas edition of "People's Daily" and "China Daily", the "World Journal" of USA, and "Le Figaro" of France, "People's Pictorial", "Shanghai Pictorial", Japanese NHK TV, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel, etc. Also CCTV has take a filmed the "Zhou's Miniature Art" disc as a present to the foreign guests by Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. Not only that, it also has over 20 medias to record the film of "Zhou's Miniature Art”. In July 1991, Zhou Changxing and his daughter, Zhou Liju, displayed the art of miniature work at the “Chinese Art Exhibition” in Japan, which gained great acclaim from the audiences and medias. In November, 1993 and August, 1994, Zhou Changxing and Zhou Liju were invited to Hong Kong to participate in the “Dream of Red Mansions Culture and Art Exhibition”. The audiences, have over 200,000 people.
Additionally, Mr. Zhou won twice of the "Shanghai Folk Art Special Award", and their works also won "Shanghai Arts and Crafts Excellence Award", which has twice the time refreshed in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2000 and 2008, Mr. Zhou wonthe Gold Award of the"Chinese masters' works of arts and crafts cum arts and crafts boutique exposition” for the third time, and the Gold Award of "The Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition” once. In 2004, Mr. Zhou Changxing was awarded the honorary title of “Master of Shanghai Arts and Crafts”. Only two years later, he was also awarded the honorary title of “Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts” by the review team of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China in December 2006. In October 2010, his works “China's Treasure" curio was exhibited at the “2010 Shanghai World Expo – Treasures of Chinese Arts · National Master Gem Exhibition”. Only 15 prestigious masters of Chinese arts and crafts can join the Shanghai World Expo.
Over the years, Mr. Zhou Changxing's miniature works have been exhibited in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and many more. They have been collected by Yasuhiro Nakasone, Henry Fok and Rong Yiren, etc.
Editor: Zhou Nan
Writers: Lu Lijuan, Li Minglin
Referrer：Oh Good Party, Wang Yongqing (Deputy General Secretary of the Chinese Arts and Crafts Society), Zhu Yucheng (Former President of the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Society), Xu Sihao (President of the First Shanghai Arts and Crafts Industry Association), Liu Xiuming (Senior Researcher of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences), Zhu Yuping ( Member of the Expert Committee of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society)
Postscript
Zhou Changxing, a well-known Master of Chinese Miniature Art and Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts, died on March 19, 2019. We are deeply saddened by this death. Master Zhou led us to his private treasure and collecting residence the last time we met. It was his 88th birthday, and he also especially warmly invited us to his exhibition in the Shanghai Financial Global Center.
Many of our friends, such as Liu Haisu, Jiang Rong, Zhou Changxing, and others, have died throughout this decade. We can only groan at the cruelty of the years when we look at the masters' images, but we will always remember the amazing time we had with them and protect the priceless treasures they left behind!