Craftsman inherits Miao painting art

By Li Jingrong: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, May 12, 2016

Liang Desong concentrates on painting a design on a drum in the ancient town of Qianzhou in Jishou City, Hunan Province. [Photo by Peng Biao/China.com.cn]

Liang Desong, a 51-year-old man from Hunan Province, is a master of Miao painting, a traditional handicraft of the Miao ethnic group passed down through generations.

Liang was born in Baihe Village in Shuitianhe Town of Xiangxi, a predominantly Miao area. Originating from ancient tattoos, Miao painting typically represents the ethnic group's culture.

Its patterns involve imaginative, auspicious dragons and phoenixes as well as images from daily life such as fish, shrimps, birds, flowers and landscapes. These are not only commonly seen on costumes and accessories, but also frequently used to decorate curtains, quilt covers and other necessities for daily use by local people.

Liang has never stopped painting since he started to learn the skills from his father at a young age. Talent, combined with continuous endeavor, enabled him to master the handicraft quickly and further develop the genre to new heights.

The artist applies his skills in a creative way to make his works vivid and lifelike. He often combines traditional Miao totems with the people's worship and pursuit typified by such works as "Two Phoenixes Dancing to the Sun," "Abundant Harvest of Food Crops," "Mandarin Ducks Playing Amid Lotuses," and "Fish-and-Water Relationship."

In 2008, Liang was named as a provincial-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. In October of 2009, "Two Phoenixes Dancing to the Sun" won the golden prize for folk tourism products in the folk handicraft masters competition for the areas of Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing. The judges also awarded him the title of "Folk Arts Master."

With excellent workmanship and local characteristics, Liang's works have appeared in numerous art exhibitions at the prefectural, provincial and national levels, being highly praised and becoming widely known around the country. Many of his works have also been collected and are on display in provincial and prefectural museums.

The Miao painting technique of Xiangxi was included into the third group of the national-level intangible cultural heritage list by the State Council on May 23, 2011.

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