Young artisan injects vitality into lacquerware craftsmanship of Yi ethnic group

Qumu Shiwu works on a piece of lacquerware work at her workshop in Xichang city, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Qumu Shiwu, a representative inheritor of the Yi ethnic group's lacquerware craftsmanship, has skillfully mastered over 40 intricate steps involved in creating Yi lacquerware. Now, through short video platforms, she is sharing its beauty with a wider audience.

"Yi lacquerware uses three main colors," she said. "Red represents passion, yellow symbolizes harvest, and black signifies all things in nature," Qumu Shiwu said at a workshop in Xichang city, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Creating Yi lacquerware involves more than 40 steps. "In our workshop, making a lacquerware bowl takes at least three months," Qumu Shiwu said. Because the process is complex, it often requires multiple artisans working together.

Shaping the raw wood is a crucial step that demands high skill. "When shaping the raw wood, we use tools like electric saws and hammers to carve the wood, and we also apply the traditional mortise-and-tenon technique to join pieces together," she explained.

The technique of applying lacquer designs is what gives Yi lacquerware its unique appeal. While the shapes of the pieces are fixed, the challenge lies in the decoration. Most patterns are hand-painted directly by the artisan. Through skillful arrangement of lines, the designs come to life.

Photo shows lacquerware works. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

"Small and medium-sized lacquerware pieces don't require a base coat and are painted directly by the artisan," Qumu Shiwu said. "This is because Yi lacquerware has unique patterns that artisans can paint once they master the technique," she added.

Qumu Shiwu learned the craft from her father and later used the internet to share it with a wider audience. After a Yi lacquerware intangible cultural heritage workshop was founded in 2017, she began posting videos of the lacquerware-making process. One short video featuring a lacquered chair made by her received over 500,000 likes. "I hope more people can appreciate the beauty of Yi lacquerware!" she said.