Documentary on Suzhou crafts hits Oceania cinemas

The Magic Craft of Suzhou, a documentary about traditional handicrafts in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, recently premiered in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne in Australia and Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand.

By visiting 12 cultural heritage practitioners, the film explores nine crafts that are unique to Suzhou, namely Song brocade, pit-carving, colored lantern-making, Ming-style furniture, Suzhou boat snacks, Su Embroidery,kesi(silk tapestry), jade-carving, and Xiangshan Gang's traditional architecture construction techniques, highlighting craftsmanship in the new era that improves upon tradition.

Jiang Xi, a jade carver featured in the film, said: "A craft that has been passed on for thousands of years has never lacked practitioners, but if an industry is to survive, it requires cooperation between multiple roles."

"As of December 2020, China had 42 items inscribed on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list, more than any other country. Intangible cultural heritage items are going from small crowds to the public and from China to the world," Jiang added.

Audiences in Australia and New Zealand expressed their appreciation for the film and the crafts featured in it.

One viewer said the film gave her an appreciation for traditional Chinese culture, as the director perfectly captured the superb skills and craftsmanship of the artists. Another viewer said it was amazing to learn from a film how traditional skills have been passed on and developed over thousands of years.

Suzhou currently has six items inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and has won 32 national titles, 124 provincial titles, and 172 municipal titles for its culture. The city is also home to 50 national intangible cultural heritage practitioners, 143 provincial practitioners, and 464 municipal practitioners.