*Plaster Decoration

81.*Plaster Decoration

Nominating Unit: City of Guangzhou

Guangzhou Plaster Decoration, popularly known as Huipi, is a traditional architectural decorative technique peculiar to Southern China, which is mainly found in Guangzhou and its peripheral towns, such as Zengchen and Conghua. According to sporadic ancient literature, its history dates back to the 4th year of the reign of Emperor Tangxizong in the Tang Dynasty (884 AC). The Zhengguo Temple, located in Zengchen in Southern China, whose construction started in 1197 in the Song Dynasty, was then decorated with plaster. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, for its diversified styles and vivid colors, everywhere was seen the Guangzhou Plaster Decoration, especially in Ancestral Halls, temples, nunneries, and luxurious mansions.

Southern China, where thunderstorms and typhoons often come by, features humid and hot climate. The local people, for this reason, have created a set of particular and complex techniques in the making of Guangzhou Plaster Decoration, from the selection of materials to the molding. The basic material is lime which resists acid, alkali, and heat, combined with straw, paper, brown sugar, sticky rice powder, and varied dyes. After soaking, fermenting, churning, mingling, three plasters required for making plaster decoration come out, namely grass root plaster, Zhijin plaster, and Se plaster, from which, its name originated. The plaster mould, whose sketch was drawn on the spot according to its design and position, was fabricated at ordinary temperatures. The fabrication goes as follows: first, the frame is made with nails and copper thread, then grass root plaster is put on the frame layer by layer until a rudimentary mold takes shape. After that, Zhijin plaster is pressed on the mold to make its surface smooth. Sihui is used to fix or trim it. Finally, the coloring of the mold starts with light color to dark color, and finishes with the drawing of black outlines. In the fabrication, stringent restrictions are imposed on the thickness of the plaster, the temperature, and the humidity. Generally, it takes several days to turn out a finished mold. Among the scenery or assembling of plaster decoration, craftsmen will ingeniously leave some decorative blowhole in order to alleviate the impact from Typhoon on ridge ornaments. Due to the complexity of the craft and the strictness of requirements, it takes a plaster decoration craftsman ten years to finish apprenticeship.(https://www.daowen.com)

Plaster Decoration of Guangzhou are mainly used for decoration of eaves and ridges on old-style architectures, top of frontispiece, window and door frame and memorial arch. There are many ways of molding that suit different parts of decoration, such as mezzo-relievo, low relief, high relief, full relief and reversible relief. Among these, the color of figures and scenery on high relief are well-matched, well arranged with vivid shape. Full relief pays particular attention to third dimension, movement and transparency of back and forth. It fully embodies the excellent craft of plaster decoration. Reversible relief is also named openwork carving, featured by its delicate and subtle molding and it can be viewed from both sides. The subject manifestations of Plaster Decoration of Guangzhou are rich and varied. It covers geographic and human landscape, fairy tale, folklore, dramatic features, auspicious animals, flowers and fruit trees, lucky character as well as trump patterns.

As a national key unit to be protected, Chen Ancestral Temple in Guangzhou was constructed in the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1894). The complex of the architecture almost gathered all the various excellent tidbits of plaster decoration. This embodies the unique craft and rich human connotation of Guangzhou’s plaster decoration. In 2008, Plaster Decoration of Guangzhou was selected into the list of the second batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage.

Plaster Decoration of Guangzhou is a typical creation of the integration of architectural decoration craft into geographic environment and natural condition. It has high cultural value and ornamental value. However, because of the popularity of modern architecture, the life condition and development space of plaster decoration is highly limited. This is also why there are fewer and fewer people learning the craft.“Inheritance” and “innovation”of it is facing a severe challenge. It is at risk of becoming extinct if no effective protection measures are taken.