Encounter eight unique skills here

At the 'Encounter. Eight Unique Skills - Yanjing Eight Unique Immersive Experience Exhibition' held by Beijing Arts and Crafts, I was able to appreciate a series of arts and crafts representing the highest level of Beijing's arts and crafts industry. Each piece of craftwork is exquisite and ingenious, which is really eye-opening. I used to have a certain understanding of cloisonne, jade carving and other crafts, but I have never had a deeper understanding of Beijing's arts and crafts like today. Yanjing Eight Unique Skills, including cloisonne, jade carving, ivory carving, carved lacquer, gold lacquer inlay, filigree inlay, Beijing embroidery and palace carpet. These craft skills have been mastered by the court for many years and have been continuously developed and improved, gradually flowing into the folk, and also performed very well. 1. Cloisonne Cloisonne, introduced during the Ming Dynasty, was named 'Cloisonne' because it was popular during the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty and the enamel used was mainly blue. The production process of cloisonne is very complex, which is a complex process that integrates various crafts such as metallurgy, casting, painting, ceramics, carving, chiseling, and hammering. It can be described as a collection of traditional Chinese crafts. The cloisonne production process was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2006. 2. Jade Carving Jade carving, centered in Beijing, is a special craft known for its majestic and solemn charm and cleverly carved design. Beijing jade carving was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2008. Skilled craftsmen use the natural shape, color, texture, pattern and transparency of jade to create many ingenious and wonderful treasures. 3. Ivory Carving Emperors of all ages listed ivory as royal tribute, and it was not until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the essence of ivory carving was exclusively owned by emperors and nobles, and was long closed within the high walls of the palace. The blending and reference of ivory carving artists from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and other places and local craftsmen in Beijing, after hundreds of years of mutual grinding and precipitation, formed the ivory carving craft with Beijing regional characteristics, presenting a gorgeous, solemn, rich and elegant style, becoming the representative of 'Northern School' ivory carving. Ivory carving was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2006. 4. Beijing Embroidery Beijing embroidery is historically known as palace embroidery. Beijing embroidery uses real gold thread to form patterns, supplemented by velvet thread or flat embroidery or seed hitting, following the principle of 'every picture must have meaning, every pattern must be auspicious', with rich styles, exquisite techniques, rich colors, and strong decoration. Beijing embroidery was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2014. 5. Palace Carpet Carpet weaving technology began to be introduced to China from the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty. By the Tang Dynasty, the carpet technology in the Central Plains region was basically mature. Large-scale carpet weaving activities flourished in the Yuan Dynasty. The official carpet weaving institutions of the Ming Dynasty wove a batch of high-quality official workshop carpets, and by the Qing Dynasty, the patterns of the official workshop carpets gradually developed and changed, reflecting the artistic style of the integration of multi-ethnic cultures. The works of Beijing Palace Carpet that have developed to this day, on the basis of mobilizing various performance techniques, fully demonstrate Chinese traditional culture and Beijing court art. Beijing Palace Carpet Weaving Technique was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2008. 6. Carved Lacquer Beijing carved lacquer is an ancient local traditional handicraft, which began in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The carved lacquer technique was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2006. Beijing carved lacquer is simple and solemn in shape, exquisite in decoration, glossy in color, elegant in shape, and has the characteristics of moisture-proof, heat-resistant, acid and alkali resistant, non-deformable, and non-deteriorating. It is an important category of Chinese lacquer craft. 7. Gold Lacquer Inlay Gold lacquer inlay is an important category of traditional Chinese lacquerware. Beijing is an important lacquerware production area in our country's history, especially the Yuan Dynasty Oil Paint Bureau, the Ming Dynasty Fruit Garden Factory, and the Qing Dynasty Palace Internal Affairs Manufacturing Office, all of which have laid a solid technical foundation for the development of Beijing lacquerware. Beijing gold lacquer inlay products have a wide range of categories and rich and colorful artistic expression techniques. The varieties include utensils, furniture, screens, plaques, wall decorations, etc., and the themes are very wide. The gold lacquer inlay technique was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2008. 8. Filigree Inlay The filigree inlay craft had a rudimentary form as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, reached a high level of craftsmanship in the Ming Dynasty, and had greater development in the Qing Dynasty. Filigree inlay is a traditional court art, its craft is complex and tedious, and the large craft is divided into eight types: pinching, filling, gathering, welding, stacking, building, weaving, and weaving. Beijing's filigree inlay has a distinct court style, elegant and generous, pearl and gem-like, finely crafted, novel and beautiful in shape, and mostly decorated with auspicious patterns and traditional ethnic patterns. The filigree inlay technique was included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list in 2008.