Meet 'Guardian of Craft' Zhang Mingjian

Color printed calico, with roots in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), is a unique folk art of the Linyi city in East China's Shandong province. Craftsman Zhang Mingjian has breathed new life into this age-old technique.

Zhang, hailing from an ordinary farming family in the city's Hedong district, was apprenticed at 14 to learn fabric printing. After three years, he mastered the intricate skills of plate making, plate drawing, plate engraving and color mixing, and was able to produce color printed calico on his own.

Yet, as time passed, these fabrics faded into obscurity until a resurgence in the 1980s. Zhang, then a carpenter, returned to his carving tools.

"All of this was handed down by our ancestors. I've sorted through numerous patterns, finishing those my teacher left incomplete," Zhang said.

"It's a pity that many of our traditional cultural treasures are now unfamiliar to the younger generation," he added.

To innovate while preserving tradition, Zhang used plant dyes to solve color fading issues in fabric wall hangings, expanding the palette to 16 colors. In 2017, to mark the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he crafted a 19-meter by 3.5-meter "Chinese Dream" fabric.

Zhang's son, Zhang Jicheng, inspired by his father, continues the legacy. "We're bringing color printed calico to schools, using education and community integration to raise awareness," he said.

In 2007, Zhang Mingjian was recognized as an outstanding inheritor of Chinese folk culture. His international-reaching works now represent Linyi's cultural tourism, showcasing the enduring allure of color printed calico in the modern era. (Edited by Du Xiaping)

Zhang Mingjian at work. [Photo by Min Dexia for chinadaily.com.cn]