As one of the source place of Canton culture, handicrafts in Foshan melt all the Cantonese cultural factors. One of the most famous ceramic art – Shiwan art – is sourced in Foshan. There are not only several shopping malls that can cater for visitors who wish to shop for brand names, but also some streets and lanes where a fine selection of folk handicrafts can be found.
♦ Foshan Woodcarving Festival Painting 佛山木板年画
Created during the Ming Dynasty, and reached its height of spelendor from Qing Dynasty to Minguo period, the Foshan Woodcarving Festival Painting is characterized with intense Lingnan style. its styles and forms mainly include door-god, Spring Festival pictures, and deity paintings, etc.
► Suggested place: 86, Pujun South Road, Chancheng District
♦ Shiwan Ceramic Art 石湾陶塑技艺
Commonly knows as “Shiwan Gongzai”, the Shiwan Ceramic art can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty, and reached its height during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The subjects of the Shiwan Ceramic Art include persons, animals, traditional stories, Buddhist and Taist Characters, etc. Utilizing the technique of “making clay figures without ceramic glaze” to manifest skin and muscles, the Shiwan pottery art ware are considered “more affectionate and humane than porcelain carvings”.
► Suggested places:
Shiwan Ceramic Art Factory (17, Shiwan Dongfeng Road, Chancheng District)
Shiwan Ceramic Museum (No. 5 – 6, Shiwan Gaomiao Road, Chancheng District)
♦ Foshan Paper Cutting 佛山剪纸
Foshan Paper Cutting boasts a long history. It has become popular as early as during the Qing Dynasty, and at its height Foshan has more than 30 paper cutting shops, and the paper cutting products sell as far as in the south and east Asia. The Foshan Paper Cuttings can be diveided into three categories according to making methods: single color cutting, lining color cutting and painting color cutting.
► Suggested places: Foshan Folk Art Research Institute
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