Lantern (Foshan lantern)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Lantern (Foshan lantern)

Applicant: Foshan City, Guangdong Province

Project No.: 349

Project No.: Ⅶ - 50

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Guangdong Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Foshan City, Guangdong Province

Protection unit: Foshan Folk Art Research Society Co., Ltd

Brief introduction of lantern (Foshan lantern)

Applicant: Foshan City, Guangdong Province

Foshan is located in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta in the southeast of Guangdong Province, where the climate is warm, the products are rich, the folk activities are extremely active, and the folk crafts are rich and colorful. Foshan lantern, commonly known as "lantern color", is a handicraft formed by the combination of Foshan folk art and local customs. It has a variety of categories and a wide range of themes, with festive harvest, auspicious luck and drama characters' stories as the main performance content, including the number one lantern, characters' story group lantern, colorful dragon lantern, Lantern Festival lantern, Mid Autumn Lantern, autumn special art lantern and various shapes and specifications of lantern.

Foshan lantern production includes four major processes: design, gallery binding, lining and assembly. It is made of exquisite materials, exquisite workmanship, vivid shape, gorgeous colors, cheerful and warm pictures, and various shapes. The finished lantern is decorated with Foshan's unique copper lined paper-cut, which gives people a sense of splendor.

Foshan lantern is one of the main schools of Chinese traditional lantern art, and it is also a representative work of Lingnan folk art. It integrates the north and South cultures of China and provides an important reference for the study of folk art and Lingnan culture. Foshan lantern show is one of the most familiar and favorite folk cultural projects of the local people, and it is also an effective means to build a harmonious society. Foshan is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. In the process of promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, communicating the national friendship of overseas Chinese and compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Foshan lantern plays an important role as a bridge.

At present, affected by the market economy, the production and marketing of Foshan lantern with high investment cost and long working hours are very unstable. There is only one teacher with comprehensive technology, Fu, who is over 80 years old. Foshan lantern is lack of successors, and its prospect is worrying, so it is urgent to strengthen the protection.