A catwalk show was staged in Tongjiang, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, during the Spring Festival. It was an innovative display where traditional Hezhe fish skin craftsmanship collided with modern design concepts, attracting citizens and tourists to stop and watch.
The exquisite fish skin styles and superb kneading techniques on display highlighted the diversity of traditional Chinese fashion as well as the wisdom of ancient Chinese people.
Models show off traditional clothing during a fashion show for fish skin attire and cheongsam dresses in Tongjiang, Heilongjiang Province. (Photo: CNR)
Ancient fashion
The art of fish skin crafting among the Hezhe people in northeastern China has a long and storied history, dating back to ancient times. It's a craft born out of necessity and ingenuity, as the ancient Hezhe people, living for generations in the basins of the Heilongjiang, Songhuajiang, and Wusuli rivers, were a fishing and hunting ethnic group. They used the fish skins and animal hides from the animals they caught to make various types of clothing and handicrafts.
The careful understanding and deft craftsmanship of the Hezhe people's ancestors transformed fish captured from the water into traditional clothing that, when worn, embodied ethnic design.
Traditional clothing and bags of the Hezhe people made from fish skin (Photo provided to People's Daily)
They also evolved into handicrafts and paintings on fish skin, which are used as decorations. The Hezhe people, who are one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in China, have not only inherited and perpetuated this fish skin culture, but many of their young people today truly value this age-old traditional craftsmanship and are carrying on this intangible cultural heritage (ICH) that is deeply ingrained in their culture.
In 2006, the Hezhe ethnic group's fish skin crafting technique was included in the first batch of China's national-level ICH list.
Modern innovation
As a representative inheritor of provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, Xie Yongliang has emerged as a dedicated guardian and an inventive trailblazer.
The 37-year-old man, who has had a passion for painting since childhood, developed an idea after seeing the fish skin handicrafts made by his ethnic group in 2009. He wanted to combine Hezhe ethnic fish skin art with his studies in fine arts and design. His intention was to investigate a novel mode of expression grounded in conventional artisanal methods.
"In recent years, we have incorporated more contemporary craftsmanship into traditional fish skin paintings through modern artistic processes, making fish skin handicrafts more in line with the aesthetic tastes of the present-day populace," Xie said.
He has masterfully innovated age-old methods like pasting, engraving, and stitching through practice and experimentation, incorporating elements like relief and modern fine brushwork to create fish skin handicrafts with unique shapes, coordinated colors, fine craftsmanship, and strong local ethnic characteristics.
A relief artwork by Xie Yongliang (Photo provided to People's Daily)
He also makes short videos to promote this ICH through online platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok, which draws in younger netizens. They find it amazing that clothing can be produced from fish skin.
At the same time, he has brought this ICH to campuses, allowing college students to learn about the Hezhe people and the fish skin crafting process.
Future expectations
Xie hopes to include more artistic elements into his work in order to better suit the expectations of current home décor and aesthetics, as well as create decorative items that are predicted to be popular among young people, such as commuting bags.
"I want to better reflect some of the traditional customs and folkways of the Hezhe ethnic group, such as fishing, by creating more works along these lines," he added.
Beneath his calm demeanor and measured words lies a fervent passion to celebrate and sustain the cultural legacy of the Hezhe people.
The ICH of Hezhe fish skin crafting has received increased attention since the development of the scenic area in Tongjiang 10 years ago. Xie now hopes to aid in the growth of his hometown by disseminating knowledge about Hezhe culture and exhibiting fish skin crafting.