Beijing Masters: Encounters with Chinese Handicrafts

Chen Xiaorong

China Travel and Tourism Press

198pp.     Paperback      160 color photographs

Beijing -- China’s capital city – has a long and storied history.  Home to more nearly 2,000 years of Imperial rule, Chinese artisans were long in service to Beijing’s elite.  Despite the the passing of Imperial rule, China remains a place where Beijing artists hone and practice their craft.  Beijing Masters: Encounters with Chinese Handicrafts  offers a fresh account of how many of Beijing’s artforms – painting, sculpture, textiles, jade, and   -- endure.

From bow makers, silk spinners, and box makers to bronze artists and master impressionists, this book profiles some of China’s most famous living artisans.  From one end of the country to another, more than fifty artists tell their stories.  Many Chinese traditional crafts are facing difficult times. Their very survival depends on whether their crafts continue to be passed down to new generations of artisans. This book will dramatically assist their cause.