Page 9 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (103)

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FOCUS | 焦点

A “cat” and its artistic evolution

一只“猫”的艺术蜕变

The “tile cat,” a traditional handcrafted program, which has proven popular among Zhang now dedicates much of his energy popular cultural symbol in Yunnan. It can be
pottery artifact intrinsic to Yunnan’s folk children and teenagers. “Children’s imag- to teaching. Periodically, he travels to univer- found everywhere, from café decorations to
culture, is commonly found in regions such inations are boundless; they inspire me to sities such as Kunming University to share the displays in craft shops. At tourist attractions
as Kunming, Yuxi, Wenshan Zhuang and create more innovative tile cats based on craft of tile cat making with students. He takes in Yunnan, tile cats have become essential
Miao Autonomous Prefecture, and Dali Bai their designs,” he explained. great joy in seeing the infusion of youth into souvenirs for visitors. In 2022, the tile cat
Autonomous Prefecture. This decorative Zhang Cai is one of the few remaining the tradition, resulting in tile cats that have was officially recognized as part of Yunnan
piece is typically positioned on the ridges craftsmen in Kunming still dedicated to taken on more adorable forms, often crafted Province’s representative list of intangible
and eaves of traditional Yunnan-style hous- making tile cats. As a bearer of intangible into various cartoon designs. cultural heritage.
es, representing good fortune and protec- cultural heritage, he has been crafting these Today, the tile cat has evolved into a
tion. However, as times have evolved, this figures for over 30 years. “We must cater to
traditional architectural motif has started to the tastes of younger generations and inno-
“descend” from rooftops, discovering new vate on the foundation of tradition,” Zhang
expressions within contemporary homes. said. To achieve this, he has scaled down
At 38 years old, Dong Zhiming, a repre- the size of the tile cats, transforming them
sentative inheritor of the Bai pottery-mak- into small decorative pieces suitable for cof-
ing technique from Jianchuan County in fee tables and desks.
Dali Prefecture, was born into a family of
potters. He began learning the art of black
pottery making from his father, Dong
Yuechang, after finishing middle school.
Traditionally, black pottery was primarily
used for creating items such as washbasins
and flowerpots, but with changing times,
sales of these customary items have steadily
declined.
In 2013, Dong Zhiming and his father
sought to pivot their craft. They noticed that
many visitors were drawn to the uniquely
shaped tile cats. Combining Jianchuan’s
wood carving techniques, Dong designed a
series of cute tile cats. The market respond-
ed positively to this new product line, and
today, the Dong family alone has sold over
10,000 tile cats in various shapes and sizes.
Responding to visitor interest, Dong
also launched a tile cat-making experience