The plate of "double happiness”

The plate of "fortune, profit, longevity and happiness” (fu, lu, shou, xi in Chinese)

Six hundred years ago, masses of bamboo baskets were sent from Huizhou, Anhui province to the capital Beijing as tributes, after they were hailed by the then emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as "exquisite folk baskets" on his royal visit to Xiuning, a county directly under the jurisdiction of Huizhou.

Recently, Yu Rihua, a master craftsman of Huizhou arts and crafts, gave one bamboo basket and two bamboo plates to the Museum of Anhui Province in the hope of impressing visitors with the beauty of those antique works of art.

"I’m not exaggerating when I say that my bamboo basket is strong, even when water is poured into it, it will not leak " the 67-year-old said. It took him nearly four months to complete weaving the fancy basket.

The old craftsman, who has a career spanning 53-years, also donated two bamboo plates: one was the plate of "fortune, emolument, longevity and happiness” (fu, lu, shou, xi), and the other the plate of "double happiness” (shuangxi) to the museum. Visitors will be able to admire the Huizhou handicrafts at the planned Exhibition of Anhui's Folk Craftwork, Huang Xiuying, associate curator of the museum said.

Editor: Tania and Li Jing

Source: cnanhui.org