Wuzhen, Tongxiang, South of the Yangtze River, Zhejiang, China
Jiangnan, a beautiful region with numerous rivers and lakes, is where your dreams come true. Here is home to cocoons and the personal story about my cocoon painting.
I was born in a small village in Jiangnan Region. Since my childhood, I have been taught to be diligent and craftsmanship has always meant something in my life. When I was still a child, my grandparents were ordinary sericulturists, who raised silkworms throughout the year. Therefore, I have developed a keen interest in raising silkworms since childhood. My high school years were spent in Wuzhen High School, whose name was inscribed by one of China’s literature giants, Mao dun, whose novel Spring Silkworms left a deep impression on me.
In high school, I was already in love with literature and painting and I majored in arts in college. Traditional Chinese paintings, western paintings, designs, sketches, colors and lines have since been my companions. After college, I went to Shenzhen in South China and stayed there for two years, during which time I came into contact with the art of ceramics. My job then was painting pictures and patterns on ceramics every day. My success of cocoon painting would have been impossible without the solid foundation I have laid during my art learning in college and craftsmanship in work.
I returned to my hometown in 1999, when tourism in Wuzhen was booming. I started to think of ways to develop local arts and crafts. I found myself constantly pondering the question: 「What material can best represent Tongxiang customs and Jiangnan culture?」 Childhood memories brought me to those white silkworm cocoons. Tongxiang has long enjoyed the fame of 「silkworm hometown」. I was more determined about the idea after studying numerous materials about sericulture. For thousands of years, sericulture has been integrated into Chinese culture and gradually becomes the bridge between Chinese and world cultures. 「It would be quite interesting if painting could be made and preserved on cocoons」.
However, there are two problems that need to be addressed before starting to paint on cocoons, namely, hardening of cocoons and mummification of silkworm chrysalis. Different professions have entirely different tricks. In order to solve these two problems, I frequented the library looking for relevant information and consulted experts. After acquiring chemical materials, purchasing equipment and doing countless experiments, I finally made cocoons into real art objects.
Selecting cocoons is also an important step. I have to pick cocoons of similar size so that the products are roughly the same size and more beautiful. Out of 100 kg of cocoons, there are at most 20 kg that are qualified.
The next challenge is coloring. Unlike ordinary paper, cocoons can not be colored simply by ink. What you use as pigments is very important. Every weekend, I mix the pigments I have collected during the weekdays in different concentration and colors and apply every single new color to each cocoon I have selected. I repeat this year after year. The more difficult the challenge is, the more determined I am to be successful. Each failure teaches me something that brings me closer to my dream. Finally, after two years of collecting and mixing pigments, I found a special pigment material that is environment-friendly and can last long. Superb pigments, coupled with my dream, makes Jiangnan cocoon painting possible.
I use natural cocoons as raw materials, which are then dried, dyed, hardened and painted to make many intriguing paintings which depict Jiangnan customs and culture.
A cocoon is just like a canvas. On its tiny surface extends a beauty image. Lay out a piece of thin paper on a cocoon and use a needle pen to let the ink drip onto the surface and draw the outline before coloring. In less than 5 minutes, a vivid image is created on the cocoon. The patterns on my cocoon painting include Feng Zikai’s caricature,
water towns in Jiangnan region, flowers and plants as well as traditional auspicious images, all of which prove the allure of culture. My creative designs have never been broken away from the silkworm culture. I firmly hold on to one basic principle, which is absorbing knowledge from traditions. Every cocoon has its individual character.
I believe nation is the world. As a typical town in Jiangnan region, my hometown is a land of fish and rice and silkworms, including Wuzhen- the last water town in China.
Generations of honest folks have grown up in the characteristic silkworm culture. I want to find a vehicle to let the outsiders know more about our local customs and practices and let those who are living a life in other cities ease their homesickness.
The series of cocoon painting, which inherit thousands of years of silkworm culture, have been present at several exhibitions in China and around the world and deeply loved by the visitors.
I have been invited to many activities hosted by various organizations such as World Internet Conference Organizing Committee, local
traditional culture festivals, Wuzhen Tourism Administration Committee and so on. All those activities helped popularize my cocoon painting craftsmanship and promoted its publicity and influence outside.
Silkworm culture means a lot to me and the road to my cocoon painting success has been long and rugged. Cocoon painting is not only an art form, but it also has witnessed my endeavor in the last ten years to realize my dream.
Between all kinds of difficulties at the very beginning and the current modest success, I have learned that my devotion to the art finally pays off. Every one has his right to pursue his dream. I wish I can hand down my cocoon painting craftsmanship to others and influence them with my devotion to my dream.