Oriental aesthetics popular at craft week
When pioneering Japanese glassmaker Hirota Glass brought a collection of innovative glass utensils to Hangzhou China Craft Week last year, organizers didn’t think they would become so popular among visitors.
This year, they prepared more products for the craft week that ended on December 6.
“Last year, all the glass products were sold out during the first three days, which was really beyond expectation,” said Sun Hongkun, Hirota’s Chinese agency.
Though each glasswork was priced at 3,000 yuan (US$460) on average, there was no shortage of buyers.
“It has created its own signature style through the combination of European traditional glassmaking techniques and Japanese artistry which really attracts me,” said Wu Yan, a visitor who came to buy the glassware for the second straight year.
Showcased are a variety of glass utensils made by Hirota Glass, a pioneering Japanese glassmaker, at this year’s Hangzhou China Craft Week from December 3 to 6. The event provided a platform for a wide range of local and foreign brands to display their artworks and designs.
Glass utensils made by Hirota Glass
The 2020 event provided a platform for a wide range of local and foreign brands to display their artworks and designs.
In a 3,000-square-meter exhibition hall at Hangzhou Creative Design Center, organizers showcased products from China, Japan, Italy, France and Switzerland.
The theme of last week’s event was “Oriental Aesthetics,” and during the previous three years, it highlighted modern ways to express old styles. This year, the focus switched to old masters of traditional folk arts.
Echoing that theme, the exhibition hall was decorated with traditional silk drapes, paper umbrellas and oddly shaped stones, morphing the venue into an Oriental garden.
Japanese traditional crafts took center stage in the exhibition hall. In addition to glassmaking, organizers invited time-honored blacksmith, porcelain and lacquerware brands.
Throughout history, China and Japan have had deep cultural exchanges, which in turn produced many similar traditions. Lacquered vessels were made from the sap of lacquer trees to varnish and protect items in both countries.
Ancient Japanese craftsmen carved patterns in lacquer to create sophisticated designs. Objects were coated with layers of lacquer, thick enough to be engraved with designs, figures and landscapes that could take years to complete.
Amano displayed conventional Japanese lacquered utensils featuring ukiyo-e, a genre of Japanese art depicting subjects from everyday life which flourished in the 17th-19th centuries. The polychrome patterns from the Edo period (1603-1868) mainly depicted kabuki actors, Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms.
At the exhibition, a performer simulated an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, and visitors learned about different tea cultures in the two countries.
At the exhibition, a performer simulates an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, and visitors learn about different tea cultures in the two countries.
In keeping with the event’s theme, it featured dozens of domestically produced, traditional hanfu costumes (Han-style clothes), ceramic vessels, furniture, handbags and accessories.
Though people no longer wear hanfu in everyday life, hobbyists and historical reenactors still use the garments which has become a new industry in Hangzhou. At the event, young hipsters wear hanfu and vintage accessories to showcase products designed in China.
In keeping with the event’s theme, young hipsters wear hanfu and vintage accessories to showcase products designed in China.
European jewelry and handbags were another highlights of China Craft Week. Italian designer brands Extremida, Monnaluna and CelesteG promoted their new collections of handmade accessories.
Italian handbag brand Clamori has been popular on social platforms for its distinctive bamboo handles.
“Every Clamori bag is handmade in Italy,” said Li Shuyi from Creative Twin Cities, the brand’s Chinese agency. “The manufacturing process might take three or four months. Today, it’s quite popular with Chinese wanghong (Internet celebrities) on social media.”
Italian handbag brand Clamori, one of the highlights at the fair, is popular on social platforms for its distinctive bamboo handles.
One handbag made by Clamori attracts visitors at the exhibition.
