Quick Answer: What Is Xiashi Lantern Craft?
Xiashi lantern craft (硖石灯彩, Xiáshí dēngcǎi) is a tradition from Haining in Zhejiang. Makers build a frame and cover it with paper panels. Small holes pierced into the paper let light through in patterns. A lantern with several faces can carry a different part of the design on each panel.[1][2][5]
- Structure: Bamboo strips and wire can hold the lantern’s shape.[1]
- Surface: Xuan paper (宣纸, xuānzhǐ) can carry painted, cut and pierced details.[1][2]
- Light: Groups of pinholes appear as points of light when the lamp is lit.[2][5]
China listed Haining’s lantern craft in 2006 as a national traditional fine art project.[1]
At a distance, a lit Xiashi lantern can look like a small pavilion with glowing walls. Up close, some parts of the picture break into tiny points. The paper panels and their openings control how much light comes through each part of the image.[1][2]
How the Frame Holds a Paper Picture
The national project describes Xuan paper, bamboo strips and wire among the traditional materials. The bamboo and wire can shape the outline, while paper covers the structure and carries the image. To see what the paper contributes, compare a bare frame with the same shape once its decorated panels are in place. The distinction between Xuan paper and rice paper also matters when reading an English material label.[1][2]
The heritage account names eight skills: painting, bending, cutting, tying, needle piercing, mounting, pasting and knotting. These describe several different jobs within the craft. Bending and tying help give the body its shape. Painting and piercing give the panels their detail. Mounting and pasting bring the pieces together.[1][2]
Why the Pinholes Matter
Needle piercing changes the way a panel handles light. A cutout can let light through an uninterrupted opening. A pierced area can keep most of the paper in place while letting separate points of light through. Lines of pinholes can suggest edges, and denser patches can mark a filled area. This gives the maker a way to create a picture across a mostly intact sheet.[2][5]
The Chinese Lantern Museum documents a six-sided Xiashi palace lantern measuring 45 centimeters across and 75 centimeters high. Its description records several ways of arranging needle marks and a density of 18 to 32 holes per square centimeter on pierced areas. The reported density helps explain why the perforations can read as a continuous pattern from a distance. The same general idea of piercing paper appears in Quanzhou lantern craft, where the national entry describes a distinct frameless construction.[1][2][5]
Haining Displays, Makers and Heritage Records
Haining’s national record describes lantern shapes based on boats and buildings, alongside standing, hanging and handheld pieces. A separately documented practitioner, Zhang Junwei, studied with Shen Zusheng and Hu Jinlong. His profile includes a revolving palace lantern and a double-eaved palace lantern. Those examples give architectural forms a place within the range of work associated with Xiashi.[1][3]
The national profile describes Qing-era displays associated with individual streets and bridges. It names a tower lantern and other pieces inspired by built forms. It also records boats and lotus-gathering boats among later designs. The scale of those examples helps distinguish the variety of Xiashi lantern shapes from the smaller six-sided museum object.[1][2]
The national heritage entry names the Haining craft in 2006. A provincial listing from 2023 separately names the Xiashi Lantern Fair (硖石灯会, Xiáshí dēnghuì). A fair gives families and communities a place to display and view the lights. The distinction between a public celebration and a way of making lanterns also matters in Qinhuai lantern traditions.[1][4]
FAQs About Xiashi Lanterns
Where are Xiashi lanterns from?
Xiashi lanterns are associated with Xiashi in Haining, a city in Zhejiang. The national project names Haining as the submitting locality.[1][5]
Are the patterns painted or pierced?
Both techniques appear in the craft. Painted details give a panel color or lines, and the pinholes let individual points of light through.[1][2]
Are the lantern craft and lantern fair listed together?
China’s national inventory listed Xiashi lantern craft in 2006. Zhejiang separately listed the Xiashi Lantern Fair at the provincial level in 2023.[1][4]
Sumber
[1] Museum Digital Warisan Budaya Takbenda Tiongkok. Lantern Art: Xiashi Lantern Craft
[2] Chinese Lantern Museum. Six-Sided Needle-Pierced Palace Lantern
[3] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Xiashi Lantern Craft and Zhang Junwei
[4] Publicity and Education Center, Ministry of Natural Resources. Xiashi Lanterns and Their Fair
[5] Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government. Xiashi Lantern Craft in Haining