Lanterns are famous arts and crafts in my country. Whenever there is a festival or celebration, lanterns and colorful decorations are often hung to show celebration. According to legend, as far back as the Qin Dynasty in the second century BC, there were already magnificent lanterns in the palace.
Chinese lantern art began in the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907 AD) and became more prosperous in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD).
In the Han Dynasty, every Lantern Festival night, there was a custom of lighting lanterns to worship the Taoist God Taiyi. From now on, it will continue to be used throughout the generations. Since the Tang Dynasty, the custom of watching lanterns and enjoying the night view during the Lantern Festival has gradually formed, also known as the "Festival of Lanterns".
The Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty was even more spectacular. As soon as the fifth day of the first lunar month passed, lanterns were put on the market one after another, with various categories and exquisite craftsmanship. During the Ming Dynasty, the custom of hanging lantern shadows during the Lantern Festival has been passed down.
It is said that not long after Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang established his capital in Nanjing, to celebrate the Lantern Festival, he set off thousands of water lanterns on the Qinhuai River. During the Yongle period, after the capital was moved to Beijing, a lantern market was added.
Dengshikou Street in Beijing was the largest lantern market at that time. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, folk lantern flowers became colorful and flourished like sweet rain after a long drought.
Our country has an extremely rich variety of lanterns: some are huge, some are extremely small and exquisite; some are figures, landscapes, flowers and fruits, and fish; there are dragon boat lanterns and revolving lanterns; some are made in Beijing, Shanghai, and Soviet Union , made in Guangdong, some are made in Zhejiang; some are made of paper, gauze and silk, and some are made of colored glaze and other materials. It can be said to be a land of strange things, with everything you need, it’s dizzying to see.
Haining is the hometown of lanterns, and the ancient town of Xiashi has a long history of making lanterns. According to legend, it began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty, and has a history of more than 1,000 years. It integrates craftsmanship, calligraphy and painting, and is unique with its exquisite acupuncture technology. It was developed as early as the Song Dynasty.Listed as tribute. It uses a bamboo grate as the skeleton shape, uses paper drawings, and completely hand-made acupuncture patterns. It is carefully crafted and ingenious. A lantern can have more than 10,000 holes at least, and can have more than 200,000 to 300,000 holes at most. It can be described as "ten thousand windows with dense eyes". Coupled with modern lighting technology, it integrates the traditional "needle, twist, knot, tie, carve, The techniques of "painting, pasting, and mounting" are integrated with modern high technology. The light passes through the eye of the needle to create lifelike and lifelike pictures.
Xia Shi lanterns are not only famous in Jiangnan, but also enjoy high reputation internationally. He won medals and certificates at the 1910 "Nanyang Industrial Exposition" and the 1934 "Universal Exposition" in Paris. In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai presented a pair of Kip stone lanterns as a national gift to Sri Lankan dignitaries. In 1994, the Haining Municipal Peoples Government presented two pairs of palace lanterns produced by the Xishi Craft Society as gifts to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the Senior Minister of Singapore, and the Singapore Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, which were highly praised.
Xiaoshi lanterns are a wonderful flower bred by Wuyue culture and the crystallization of the wisdom of Haining people from generation to generation.
The craftsmanship of Haining Xia stone lanterns mainly includes eight techniques: needle, twist, knot, tie, carve, draw, paste and mount. What makes it particularly beautiful and unique is its unique acupuncture pattern, which uses a variety of needle techniques and is completely hand-punched and painted with fine brushwork to make lamp pieces. down, giving people a sense of elegance.
