The Magic Crafts of Suzhou, a documentary film themed on traditional crafts of Suzhou, held a special screening at China Film Archive last Saturday (January 8). The film showcased the essence of the nine crafts unique to Suzhou, including Song brocade, Suzhou lantern, Ming-style furniture, Suzhou boat snacks, Suzhou embroidery, Kesi, etc., and also the craftsmanship that underlies the exquisiteness of these crafts.
The film makers said that the film was subtitled in English and they are planning to release the documentary film overseas in December, which will further communicate the thousand-year-old traditional crafts and Chinese craftsmanship to a wider audience around the world.
Premiere, Suzhou, June 28, 2021
Screening Event, Beijing, January 8, 2022
The audience was touched and enchanted by the beauty of the crafts, the stories of the craftsmen and the cultural meanings of the film. “The documentary is very enlightening. Each craftsman devoted much of their lives to the crafts and they constantly bring forth new ideas. I think that’s exactly what they have inherited from the ancient people -- the pursuit of artistic life,” said a student from Beijing who participated in the screening event. Impressed by the elegance and charm of Suzhou, some other viewers said they’d like to visit the city right away and taste the boat snacks and three-shrimp noodles.
Suzhou Boat Snacks
Jade Carving
Suzhou owns six UNESCO intangible cultural heritages (ICHs), 32 national ICHs, 124 provincial ICHs, 172 city-level ICHs as well as 50 representative inheritors of national ICHs, 143 inheritors of provincial ICHs and 464 inheritors of city-level ICHs. All the skills and characters handed down from the literati of the Song Dynasty contribute to the creation of The Magic Crafts of Suzhou.
Suzhou Embroidery by Yao Huifen
Upon the overseas release, more and more viewers can expect to feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture and also the cultural essence of Suzhou.
