Study On Folk Art Recorded In Jingchu Suishi Ji

This study is based on the research text recorded in“Jingchu Suishi Ji”.Tapping relevant information of the folk arts in the corpus and combining the social and cultural backgrounds of the Wei and Jin period in ancient China,the current study aims to bring a deeper understanding of “JingChu Suishi Ji” from a synchronic perspective.The method of mutual confirmation from both documentary records and archaeological images is used in the study.The folk art contained in“ Jingchu Suishi Ji ” can be divided into three major categories and ten sub-categories: the folk paintings category includes the door God paintings and the egg paintings;the folk sculptures category includes wood carvings,bamboo carvings,and clay sculptures;the folk crafts category includes paper cutting,dyeing and embroidery,weaving(straw),gold and silver work,and decoration a total of five small categories.Each sub-category does not exist independently,instead they fused with and impact on one another.Among the three major categories,folk crafts category takes the largest proportion compared with folk paintings and folk sculptures.The part of folk paintings contains the door God paintings and the egg paintings.For the door God paintings,the subjects vary among tigers,Warriors(Tao Ren),gods(Shen Shu,Yu Lv),and chickens;the material includes colored silk,paper,and mahogany.The description of egg paintings is about drawing eggs and carving eggs.The egg paintings are dyed in blue and red colors.The spiritual functions of the two types of paintings are very different.The function of the door God paintings is to guard the house against the invasion of evil spirits,while the egg paintings serve more as a way of worshiping the ancestors,gifting the relatives,and obtaining good health.The part of folk sculptures contains wood carvings,bamboo carvings,and clay sculptures.The records of wood carvings mainly focus on the making of the masks of HuGongtou and Xitou,the making of mahogany figures and spines,as well as the wood-carving techniques used in decorating the Buddhist ceremony Obon festival.Bamboo carvings appear mostly in the decoration of the Obon festival.The function of clay sculptures is sacrificialing ancestors and divining harvest.The folk crafts part of “Jingchu Suishi Ji” is divided into paper cutting,dyeingand embroidery,weaving(straw),gold and silver work,and decoration.The types of paper-cutting include jewellery images such as Rensheng,Huasheng,and animal images such as swallow and Tiger,and the decoration of YiChuntie in spring-begining-day.Paper cutting materials include paper,colored silk,and metal foil.The printing and dyeing technique includes materials,colors,and methods.The materials are brocade,zhicheng,zu;the colors are five-color,Dan and Xuan.The method is jiaoxie and jiaxie.The embroidery technique described in the text includes the making process of Bao Gai,sachet,and the seven-hole needle.Pattern subjects include animal patterns,plant patterns,and geometric patterns.Among them,animal patterns are mostly demonstrated as phoenix,dragon,tiger and snake;plant patterns are mostly in cornel patterns and lotus patterns;geometric patterns are mostly in diamond patterns,square patterns,swirl patterns,and S patterns.Weaving is performed on the first day of the reed,and displayed as human and tiger figures made by wormwood on the Dragon Boat Festival.The description of Gold and silver work is about jewelry(Jinsheng,Tiao Tuo,and gold sachet).The decoration plays a significant role in Buddhist grand ceremonies.The description of “ Jingchu Suishi Ji ” shows the condition of Wei and Jin Dynasties’ folk art.This period of folk art tends to bright and richness colors,symbolic expression,symmetrical and full layout.The intersectional nature of folk art,the systematic nature of the folk art categories,the symbolism of the color used in folk art,the collectiveness of all citizens’ participation,and the regional inclusiveness have been displayed in a concentrated manner.The inherited value of folk art can provide important reference for the development of contemporary folk art,and it is also of great significance for the inheritance and protection of folk art.