Art of brass rubbing comes into focus in Shandong campus

Editor's Note:

The Yellow River runs through nine cities in East China's Shandong province and flows into the sea, bringing vitality and prosperity to the land. Along its banks, numerous intangible cultural heritage projects have been created and inherited, reflecting the colorful scenery, brilliant culture and rich diversity of Shandong. Shandong is a province with a long history and a splendid civilization. It boasts 186 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, ranking it second in the country. Moreover, eight projects have been inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, according to the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Join me on a journey in Meeting the Sea Along the Yellow River in Shandong, to discover the treasures of intangible cultural heritage there and appreciate the charms of this ancient and modern land.

The art of brass rubbing recently came into focus during an activity at the New Area Civilization Hands-On Center in Dongming county, which is located in Heze city, in East China's Shandong province.

The center organized a volunteer activity with the theme of Exploring Childhood Delights, Imprinting the Chinese Dream. The aim was to give students some constructive fun, with the wider goal of improving Chinese traditional cultural education.

During the event, participants learned the art of brass rubbing, which involves placing a piece of paper over a carved surface – such as stone inscriptions, metal plaques and woodblocks – and rubbing it with ink or pigment to create a copy of the design or characters.

Students have a ball watching a volunteer demonstrate how to create a brass rubbing artwork. [Photo by Wang Chen for chinadaily.com.cn]

At the beginning of the activity, volunteers introduced the history and basic production processes of brass rubbing and then displayed the finished products to the students.

Then, directions were given on how to proceed, including overlaying the paper, tracing the design on the stone surface and coloring it on paper. With the help of the volunteers, everyone tried their hand at brass rubbing and created lifelike works on paper.

The event allowed local students to learn the art of brass rubbing and experience traditional culture while enhancing concentration and hands-on skills.

Moving forwards, plans are for Dongming county to bring more innovative volunteer services to grassroots communities in urban and rural areas. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)