A collection of masterful crafts, vivid folk art scenes, and generations of living heritage have crafted a multifaceted narrative of Yangpu's intangible cultural heritage (ICH) - a story imbued with depth, continuity, and rich cultural significance.

The ICH of Yangpu is deeply rooted in this land where culture and industry intertwine. These heritage items originate from daily life, return to it, and enrich it. They are immersed in the city's everyday hustle and bustle, preserving cultural memories over time and bearing witness to the lifestyle and wisdom of the people of Yangpu.

Recently, the fifth batch of representative ICH items in Yangpu has rolled out. Let's delve into these cultural treasures that are full of life and charm.

Dunhuang Mural Line Drawing Technique

"Dunhuang is a book that can never be fully read. The protection, research, and promotion of Dunhuang art is an endless endeavor. Allowing more people to appreciate and understand Dunhuang is the true significance of restoring murals." — Shi Dunyu

The Dunhuang mural line drawing technique is a crucial part of restoring Dunhuang murals. It employs various line drawing methods, including ink lines, light ink lines, ochre-red lines, and earth-red lines, to achieve both form and spirit in the artwork. These lines vary in thickness, weight, and style, with techniques such as silk thread drawing, iron wire drawing, orchid leaf drawing, water shield drawing, and dot-and-tail drawing. The core of this technique lies in distinguishing and mastering the painting methods of different dynasties in Dunhuang murals, using the rich patterns of Dunhuang as the main subject to create unique line drawing works.

The inheritance and development of the Dunhuang mural line drawing technique has deep historical connections with Shanghai's century-long legacy of education, science, and culture. The contemporary main successor, Shi Dunyu, has not only learned from generations of Dunhuang painters but also widely absorbed the experience of predecessors, becoming a master of this craft. She has long collaborated with Fan Jinshi, known as the "Daughter of Dunhuang" and a native of Shanghai, on the "Dunhuang Art Popularization and Education" project, laying a solid foundation for promoting Dunhuang painting art and line drawing techniques.

Porcelain Painting

Porcelain painting, also known as porcelain art or porcelain plate painting, can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties. True porcelain plate painting emerged in the mid-Ming Dynasty and became popular from the mid-Qing Dynasty.

Porcelain painting uses porcelain as the canvas, with various tools such as different-sized outlining brushes, painting brushes, mineral pigments, olibanum oil, camphor oil, and white porcelains in various shapes. It is one of the important mediums through which ceramic artists draw on the essence of traditional Chinese painting to express Eastern aesthetic ideals. Whether it is overglaze decoration, in-glaze decoration, or underglaze decoration, each technique embodies the craftsmen's pursuit of beauty, turning porcelain from mere vessels into timeless artistic treasures.

Yangpu has witness a steady emergence of folk artisans. Li Ruichang, a master of Shanghai-style porcelain painting, initially taught the craft at Shanghai Baoshan Children's Palace. Later, he expanded his teaching to Hongkou and Pudong, and in 2010, he brought it to Yangpu. He taught at Siping Elderly University and Yinhang Community Cultural Center. His apprentice, Wang Jihong, has been learning from him since 2011. Through years of practice, she has helped continue and promote the tradition of porcelain painting.

Thanks to the dedication and contributions of generations of craftsmen, these ICH works have remained vibrant and timeless. They are not just interwoven colors and lines but also narratives of emotions and stories. As times change, more and more ICH works will be revitalized by craftsmen, illuminating the river of history and reflecting the path to the future.