Li Ziqi and the Beauty of Sichuanese Art
The Chinese Social Media Star Returns with a New Spark! ⭐
Phrase of the week: 一杯捲用百人之力，一屏风就万人之功
(yī bēi juǎn yòng bǎi rén zhī lì, yī píng fēng jiù wàn rén zhī gōng)
Meaning: A single lacquered cup requires the effort of a hundred people, while a folding screen that of a ten thousand people.
This saying shows us how incredibly intricate the traditional Chinese craftmanship is! Nobody knows it as well as the YouTube megastar Li Ziqi (李子柒), who has made a great comeback last week after a break of 3 years.
Photo: Li Ziqi channel
With her talent in traditional Chinese crafts and the serene atmosphere of the Sichuan countryside, Li Ziqi has captured the hearts of millions of viewers in China and beyond. Her three newest videos have each already garnered around 10 million views.
Chinese viewers are thrilled to see their megastar return, and so are we! Let’s see what Li Ziqi has prepared for us this time!
漆艺、蜀锦、缫丝……李子柒回归带火了四川非遗
作为中国传统文化的重要组成部分，非遗技艺承载着中华民族的历史记忆和文化基因。11月13日晚，李子柒复出之后亮相“2024焕新非遗·天府之夜”活动现场，官宣“李子柒非遗工作站”成立。尽管时间紧，她还是抽出时间精心准备，连夜缝制了一套优雅大方的白色连衣裙，上衣的纽扣和熊猫围腰分别用到了漆艺和蜀锦织造，让四川非遗技艺又一次火上热搜。
漆艺 (qī yì) - lacquer art, a traditional craft involving the application of lacquer for decoration and preservation
Photo: alqsh.com
蜀锦 (shǔ jǐn) - shu brocade, or Sichuan embroidery, a traditional silk textile from Sichuan, known for its intricate patterns and craftsmanship. It is one of the oldest brocades in China
Photo: post.smzdm
缫丝 (sāo sī) - silk reeling, the process of unwinding silk from silkworm cocoons
带火 (dài huǒ) - to popularize, to bring into the spotlight
非遗 (fēi yí) - intangible cultural heritage
技艺 (jì yì) - craftsmanship, skill
承载 (chéng zǎi) - to carry, to bear
基因 (jī yīn) - gene
复出 (fù chū) - comeback
亮相 (liàng xiàng) - to appear, to debut
官宣 (guān xuān) - official announcement
抽出 (chōu chū) - to take out, to spare (time)
尽管 (jǐn guǎn) - despite, although
精心 (jīng xīn) - meticulously, carefully
连夜 (lián yè) - overnight
缝制 (féng zhì) - to sew
大方 (dà fāng) - graceful, poised
纽扣 (niǔ kòu) - button
围腰 (wéi yāo) - apron
织造 (zhī zào) - weaving, manufacturing
热搜 (rè sōu) - trending search
Lacquer art, Sichuan embroidery, silk reeling... Li Ziqi's return has brought renewed attention to Sichuan's intangible cultural heritage
As an essential part of traditional Chinese culture, intangible cultural heritage crafts carry the historical memory and cultural DNA of the Chinese. On the evening of November 13, following her return, Li Ziqi appeared at the "2024 Revitalizing Intangible Cultural Heritage: Tianfu Night" event, officially announcing the establishment of the "Li Ziqi Intangible Cultural Heritage Workstation." Despite her tight schedule, she took the time to carefully prepare and sew an elegant white dress overnight. The dress featured lacquer art on the buttons and Sichuan embroidery on the panda-patterned apron, once again bringing Sichuan's intangible cultural heritage into the spotlight.
李子柒宣布回归之后，接连发布了3支视频作品，以独特的视角和细腻的笔触，将漆器、蜀锦、缫丝等四川非遗推向了更广泛的受众。
接连 (jiē lián) - in succession, one after another
视角 (shì jiǎo) - perspective
细腻 (xì nì) - delicate, meticulous
笔触 (bǐ chù) - brushstroke, style of writing or depiction
漆器 (qī qì) - lacquerware
受众 (shòu zhòng) - audience, viewers
After announcing her return, Li Ziqi released three video works in succession. With her unique perspective and delicate storytelling, she introduced Sichuan's intangible cultural heritage, such as lacquerware, Sichuan embroidery, and silk reeling, to a wider audience.
漆器是中国古代在化学工艺及工艺美术方面的重要发明。漆器制作工艺繁琐，有“一杯捲用百人之力，一屏风就万人之功”之说，常规的漆器制作包括设计、制木胎、漆工、打磨、装饰、推光、抛光等工序，每一道的工序又包含了更为细致的工艺分类和多次重复的制作。
工艺 (gōng yì) - craft, technique
繁琐 (fán suǒ) - complex, intricate
一杯捲 (yī bēi juǎn) - literally "a single lacquered cup”
屏风 (píng fēng) - folding screen
常规 (cháng guī) - conventional, standard
制木胎 (zhì mù tāi) - making wooden bases
漆工 (qī gōng) - lacquering
打磨 (dǎ mó) - polishing
装饰 (zhuāng shì) - decoration
推光 (tuī guāng) - burnishing
抛光 (pāo guāng) - final polishing
工序 (gōng xù) - process, procedure
细致 (xì zhì) - detailed, meticulous, careful
Lacquerware is an important ancient Chinese invention in the fields of chemical technology and craftsmanship. The process of making lacquerware is intricate, often described as "a single cup requires the effort of a hundred people, while a screen takes the work of ten thousand." The standard production of lacquerware includes steps such as design, wooden base crafting, lacquering, polishing, decorating, burnishing, and final polishing. Each step involves even more detailed sub-processes and repeated efforts.
Photo: alqsh.com
李子柒回归后发布的第三支视频，则展示了蜀锦的精美。她以宋代裙装为灵感，亲自设计、制作了蜀锦裙，裙上的绒花紫莲寓意轮回和重生。当李子柒身着绒花蜀锦裙在钢琴前弹唱歌曲《如愿》，非遗之美与现代美学的完美融合，给观众带来了极大的视觉和听觉享受。
精美 (jīng měi) - exquisite, fine
灵感 (líng gǎn) - inspiration
裙装 (qún zhuāng) - skirt outfit
绒花 (róng huā) - velvet flowers
紫莲 (zǐ lián) - purple lotus
寓意 (yù yì) - meaning, symbolizes
轮回 (lún huí) - reincarnation
重生 (chóng shēng) - rebirth
身着 (shēn zhuó) - dressed in
弹唱 (tán chàng) - to play and sing
现代美学 (xiàn dài měi xué) - modern aesthetics
融合 (róng hé) - integration, fusion
视觉 (shì jué) - visual
听觉 (tīng jué) - auditory
享受 (xiǎng shòu) - enjoyment, pleasure
In the third video released after her return, Li Ziqi showcased the exquisite beauty of Sichuan embroidery. Drawing inspiration from Song Dynasty attire, she personally designed and crafted an embroided skirt adorned with velvet lotus flowers, symbolizing reincarnation and rebirth. When Li Ziqi performed the song “As Wished” while playing the piano in her velvet skirt, the perfect fusion of intangible cultural heritage and modern aesthetics provided audiences with an extraordinary visual and auditory experience.
Do you like Li Ziqi’s videos?
Antoine & Dorota
