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On February 20th, 2008 Spring Party, sponsored by Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SIFA), was held in Mianzhu, a city 85 kilometers from Chengdu. In the total of 66 foreigners, including consul generals of foreign countries, foreign businessmen, experts and foreign students studying in Chengdu participated in the party. The annual spring party, which aims at strengthening the cultural communication between China and foreign countries, is popular with local expatriates because they have access to experiencing traditional Chinese culture.
This year activity offered a good chance for foreigners to get a better understanding of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting, which has a history of over 500 years and was listed on the chart of the first of batch of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritages in 2007.
Visiting and Shopping
For most of foreign guests, it was their first visit to Mianzhu, although they had known the reputed Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting before.
“It is the first time that I come to Mianzhu. I’m really attracted by such an intricate and colorful Chinese folk art. I’m really very curious about its making procedure,”said Syed Zaidi, Visa Consul of Pakistani Consulate General in Chengdu. When visiting the Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting Exhibition held at Mianzhu Cultural Square, Syed Zaidi bought some Mianzhu Spring Festival Paintings and some artworks related with Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting.
Jirapaphone Vorapongse, Business Consul of Thailand Consulate General in Chengdu, has devoted to researching Chinese culture for many years. Although it was the first time for her to visit Mianzhu City, she had collected several pieces of Mianzhu Spring Festival Paintings. Because she knows Chinese culture deeply, Jirapaphone prefered to select some artwork of Mianzhu Spring Festival Paintings without other people’s help, and she also helped her counterparts to select some paintings. Holding a tapestry with Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting embedded in it, Jirapaphone said excitedly,“it’s very Chinese style!”
In the Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting Exhibition, foreign guests swarmed to buy various souvenirs related with Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting. Some of them liked the traditional works, while, others prefered to new developed artworks which are more functional than the traditional ones, such as the postcard, picture frame, handbag, T-shirt and so on.
Painting DIY
Do you like Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting? Do it yourself! When visiting the Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting Museum, foreign guests were encouraged to draw a piece of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting themselves. Most of them would like to try, although it was hard work for them.“Brush ink of the wood-block carved with pattern, cover a piece of paper on the wood-block, press the paper with a paperweight, then move the paper away, you will get a paper with the profile of a pattern. Then make the pattern colorful with various pigments. A piece of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting will be done,”said the director of the Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting Museum.
Following the introduction of the director, foreigners tried their best to make a painting themselves. Vava Kovac, a chemical expert from Croatia, was very excited to get a chance to make a piece of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting herself. She concentrated to follow the steps introduced by the director.“It’s very fantastic! I can do it myself. I will send the work made by myself to my mother,”Vava said. Holding the finished work, Vava was very happy and got a sign of the director. Ethan, a 5-year boy, was also attracted by the colorful paintings. When his mother was drawing a picture, he couldn’t wait to doing it himself. Holding the brush pen tightly in his hand, Ethan colored the pattern at his pleasure regardless of the crowd.
Besides drawing Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting, foreigners were encouraged to do some embroideries of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting. Under the help of a craftsman, Fluker Megan, an American student who studies Chinese in Chengdu, tried to do it herself.“It’s so difficult that I can’t do it very well. Anyhow, it is very interesting,”she said.
Foreigners who participated in the painting DIY were happy to bring their own works back home. Some said that they would hang the works on the wall of their home.“We like such kind of interactive activity. It enables us to experience Chinese culture more directly,”a foreign student said.
Being Indulged in Mianzhu
After one-day activity, all foreign guests were still vigorous. At the square of Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting Village, they were actively to participate in all kinds of activities. Cardona, an American businessman from Texas played the bridegroom and followed the sedan where a Chinese“bride”sat. It looked he was so excited to experience a traditional Chinese wedding.
Michael, also a businessman from Texas, even showed his own stunt at the square. He juggled balloons into all kinds of lovely animals, such as tidy bears, tigers, and rabbits. Then he presented his works to local children.
At night, the foreign guests enjoyed to do rice glue ball and dumplings in the village. Eating the delicious traditional Chinese food, they had been indulged in the city illumined by dazzling skyrocket.
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As a unique Sichuan folk art and one of the most prestigious wood-block Spring Festival Paintings, Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting has a history of over 500 years and was at the height of splendor in the 16th century. It varies in a wide range, and artistically features complete composition of pictures, exaggeration and stretch of human figures, exquisite carving, and bright and drawing draft picture, carving wood block by the draft, wood-block printing, manual coloring and the manual painting is the best part. Mianzhu Spring Festival Painting enjoys high reputation as the treasure of Chinese folk art and a historic and cultural heritage of China.
by Yu Ting
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