The Runway Style of Liu Wen has always been cool and a little laid-back. Recently the Harper's Bazaar released a group of high fashion pictures, in these pictures, Liu Wen holds a round fan with a smiling face and distant proud eyes. In some pictures she used the fan to cover half her face. She is really the perfect model of oriental beauty.
A comely woman who wears a high set dress, with pearls on her hair, and holding a round fan looks so elegant. She looks like a someone in a picture frame.
Taking pictures in the British Castle. Her beauty is a harmonious combination of a western and eastern style.
Although she is in the British Castle, she mixes western fashion and oriental elegance. This, charm is evident between each smile, with a lasting appeal. This kind of harmonious beauty comes from the fan, giving her her elegance.
Every goddess in the variety show <idol has came> also has a round fan, and famous artist Mr.Li Yugang had the same fan before.
<idol has came>, Goddesses are holding fans.
Actually, the true owner of those round fans is from a man who was born after 1985.
He looks just like a IT geek because of his glasses, T-shirt and outside shirt. But you can see the ambitions and calmness in his eyes. Because of his appearance, it’s hard for us to connect him with the traditional round fan which is of “cut a round fan, reunion as the round moon”.
Li Jin, who majored in Science of Business Administration in the period of bachelor, and graduated from design specialty in Jiangnan University. Now works as an artist who makes round fans. He is a fan of ancient customs. He particularly liked opera in his junior, and later his interest spread to Chinese opera. He loves everything from dance and martial arts, classical poems, to props.
Maybe something you like will be left behind easily, but for those things you love, it can be really hard to give up.
Collecting antique implements is one of Li Jin’s interest, this picture shows some of his collections which are from Qing dynasty.
It’s was like destiny when Li Jin met his first broken old fan. Although the fan is small and useless, he regarded this small round fan as treasure. He couldn’t find a handicrafts-man to fix it, because all the handicrafts-men told him that his round fan was one in a thousand, and they couldn’t find materials to fix it.
After going back, Li Jin started to figure out how to fix this worn round fan. But fixing it was just the first step, he felt sad when he looked at the empty surface of the fan.
Therefore, in the next 3 years. He visited different kinds of people who all have their own various unique techniques to making fans. Then he combined the silk which is in danger of extinction for the traditional round fan, and made hand-made round fans.
The round fan is highly elegant and native beautiful, like an orchid in the valley.
Round fan from Qing dynasty.
A round fan usually consists of the frame, surface, handle, tassel and other accessories, that involve a variety of unique techniques. And for Li Jin, as a new maker of fans, he can’t learn all of the techniques in a short time. So he called a lot of handicrafts-men to repeat the beauty of the 1000 year round fan.
As a new person in round fan field, Li Jin has put in a lot of effort. At the beginning, he wanted a qualified worker to make fans by his layout. But he wasn’t satisfied with his work. So he communicated this with his workers, while figuring out where the problems were. Over and over again, he started to understand the process to make a round fan, and his design became more relevant to the round fan’s lasting appeal.
Li Jin thinks that a round fan is not only the cultural heritage but also the combination of different kinds of techniques. “ all the techniques which are used in the furniture construction or the materials which are used in the clothes, or calligraphy, painting, art, etc., all of them can be found in a small round fan.”
“The connotation of a round fan is one of the most important points, rather than the process itself.” Li Jin likes it when other people say “ unique”, “graceful”. He said: “ it’s not because of the complicated process that makes the result beautiful, how to perfectly present the materials and technique of the fans is what I am interested in.
Ordinary life is the perfect environment for people to create art. After postgraduate, Li Jin directly established his studio in the Su Wu Qu Fang. In his opinions: “ No matter where you are from, no matter who you are, you have to walk inside and park your car outside. This is the respect of art.”
In the beginning this choice couldn’t be understood by his family. But Li Jin knew what he wanted, and went to Suzhou anyways to make round fans. Then he slowly got social acceptance. Which gradually changed the views of family.
This round fan is hung in Li Jin’s studio.
Various materials, for surface or edge.
Among these materials, Li Jin love K'o-ssu most. Compared with other materials, there is a unique way to weave K'o-ssu. Li Jin said: K'o-ssu has to be distributed well before weaving, and it’s more complicated to manage with more color.” His designs focus on the effect instead of details. Details don’t represent high value of art.
In K'o-ssu, virgin silk as meridian, color bright silk as weft. Use “ smooth meridian and break weft” as the method to weave.
Lin Jin loves to make fans with K'o-ssu, but it’s very complex, and it wastes a lot of time, there is an old saying “ one piece of K'o-ssu, one piece of gold”.
Li Jin is responsible for the surface and frame of the round fans.
Because he graduated from an art major, he is sensitive about beauty. And because of the edification of opera and antique, he thoroughly mixed traditional art.
Li Jin is making round fan.
1000 years history and Chinese traditional culture inspired Li Jin a lot. However, he doesn’t only follow the traditional culture or just enjoy the sight of round fans. In his view, no matter round fan or k 'o-ssu is used in our modern life, making the best of everything can make the heritage more alive.
Mkuruti handle chrysanthemum round fan
Wisteria orioles double hand embroidered round fan
Pineapple lacquer handle and copy of Qianlong palace peony of Qing dynasty round fan
“As far as I can see, beauty is good. I hope my design is beautiful, can meet people’s interest, can be used in modern life and people won’t feel it’s weird to use round fans.” Although Li Jin makes traditional round fans, it doesn’t mean he only thinks traditional, Chinese stuff is beautiful.
Surface of found fan draw by using a color ball pen.
Li Xiaopi who shows a lot in Li Jin’s Weibo is also creation material of Li Jin’s.
Mini-Watermelon round fan by using a ball pen.
Overturning the traditional views and values, Li Jin changed the old style by exerting his understanding of art, and the heritage of traditional art to become something meaningful.
“ No matter how much attention you pay to it, It will eventually return to his original position, if you exaggerate it too much, young people will only feel scared, and think they are far away from it.”
As a handcraft-man, Li Jin works most of his time. In the beginning of making a round fan, he only slept 4 hours per day. And even after he got familiar with it, he is still very strict with himself. Sometimes if he is not satisfied with a fan, it will take him half a year to make.
After work,Li Jin meets his friends occasionally in his studio. They chat and drink tea, sometimes they play instruments, and Li Jin sings a little. He is kind of famous for singing Kun opera, and his singing is different from the old street singing. His songs are more secluded and refined.
Li Jin is doing his makeup
“ Shuang Tian Xiao Jiao” are four words that Li Jin loves, and it’s the name of his Weibo. He said:“in the morning, there is the frosting , and horn blowing. Why is the horn blew? You can imagine as much as you want.” Like his works, like the the morning frost and dew , shone quietly elegant, but it has the strength to defense the nature. Like a blowing horn, loud and fluty , resound in the long river of the history.
Craftsman is not somebody else
is yourself who insist your own mind
He’s in the old town
admire flowers, listen to the rain
come back lately in the evening after work
all for one thing in one life.
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