Lacquering techniques of Yi Nationality

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: lacquering skills of Yi Nationality

Applicant: Xide County, Sichuan Province

Item No.: 911

Project No.: VIII - 128

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Sichuan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xide County, Sichuan Province

Protection unit: Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture Civil and ethnic arts and Crafts Factory

A brief introduction of Yi lacquerware painting techniques

Applicant: Xide County, Sichuan Province

Located in the north central part of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, Xide County, the hometown of Yi lacquerware, has a history of 1700 years. From making primitive wooden living utensils in ancient times to painting daily necessities with black lacquer, and then to making exquisite colored lacquerware with natural materials such as raw lacquer, Yinzhu and Shihuang, Yi lacquerware painting techniques have been continuously developed and improved in the long history of evolution.

Yiluo village, Yiluo Township, Xide County is a well-known place for the origin and inheritance of Yi lacquerware. The Jiwu family living here is a Yi family of lacquerware, and lacquerware painting skills have been passed down for 19 generations. Yi lacquerware is made of high-quality Rhododendron wood, sour branch wood and camphor wood. There are more than 40 processes, such as log cutting, drying, roughing, polishing, ash filling, water grinding, priming, painting, cleaning and drying in the shade. Among them, black lacquer is generally used as the background color, and yellow and red patterns are painted on it to form various patterns. The color contrast is strong, showing a unique national style.

The lacquerware of Yi nationality in Liangshan of Xide County has many advantages, such as exquisite workmanship, various shapes, elegant appearance, non-toxic, no peculiar smell, acid and alkali resistance, high temperature resistance and no deformation. At present, this precious folk handicraft of ethnic minorities has gradually declined and is on the verge of extinction, which is in urgent need of rescue and protection.