Interview with Zhu Bingren, master of Chinese arts and crafts

Through 70 years, from the folk copper supplies, the magnificent copper buildings, to the melting copper sculptures with the beauty of purpose, Zhu Bingren has always been associated with copper and copper as partners. Perhaps everyone has a way of interpreting his own life. Zhu Bingren chose copper. In an article, Zhu Bingren described himself as a modern coppersmith who was immersed in the long river of bronze culture and pursued his 5000 years of refinement with a sincere feeling. At the end of the article, he wrote: "I hope copper is me, I am copper." Zhu Bingren said: "In the copper field, we must create something different from our predecessors. The industry has always attached importance to inheritance, but the problem is that there is more than inheritance and there is insufficient development. Some things are necessary for inheritance, but development and creation are far more important than inheritance."

Beijing Commercial Daily: The fact that Zhujia has copper has a long history and is also very loud in the past. However, after hearing the founding of New China, your father’s generation could not continue to inherit the copper making technique due to historical and political reasons. There was no contact with the copper art industry before the age of 40. What are the opportunities for you to regain your old business?

Zhu Bingren: It should be said that the reform and opening up in 1978 brought me vitality and hope. Since then, I have decided to resume the “Zhufu Copper Art” piece of gold. Restoration requires inheritance, but I know very well that if you want to keep Zhufu Copper Arts going, you need to inject new vitality into the bronze sculpture art.

Beijing Business Daily: After you re-entered the copper art world, you created the first, the first copper signboard, the first copper door, the first copper mural, and the first copper building in the history of copper making. In these first, we can easily see that your creation has always followed the pace of the times. For the first time now, how easy have you been to give and try?

Zhu Bingren: I just mentioned that if copper art is to be developed, it must be freed from pure arts and crafts, from the earliest copper entry into bronze to the gradual integration of copper art into China's large-scale public buildings, combined with modern techniques and constant Innovative technology turns old decay into magic. At the same time in the construction of Leifeng Pagoda, Shaoxing pedestrian copper bridge and many other bronze sculptures, I also integrated the traditional copper art with the art of painting, calligraphy lines, poetry and Buddhist culture organically, and improved the overall connotation of the copper building. And beauty.

Beijing Business Daily: Jiangnan Copper House can be said to be another major miracle in copper construction. It is built on 3,000 square meters of copper. It is learned that you can only use it to build a copper house in the south of the Yangtze River and spend a lot of time and energy. Why did you build such a copper house and open it to visitors for free?

Zhu Bingren: In the construction of Jiangnan Copper House in 2005, when the price of copper rose directly from 20,000 yuan per ton to 80,000 yuan, the intention of building a copper house in southern China was opposed by many people. The price of copper worth tens of millions of yuan was indeed Scary, at the time, he thought about whether he would continue his long-cherished wish for decades when the price of copper fell, but the price of copper did not stop it from rising. I couldn't wait any longer. I had taken myself for decades. All the savings were used to buy copper, and he and his children's property were also taken to the bank for a ****. The idea of ​​building a copper house actually visited foreign art galleries. When they visited the Louvre in France several years ago, they could see that Venus could touch it. However, Chinese museums divided people and art with barriers. We built the Jiangnan Copper House into a museum of copper culture. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the museum. Just like the “people's dragon chair” in the museum, we want to make the museum accessible, experienceable, and Photographed People's Museum.

Beijing Commercial Daily: Copper art is a category of intangibles, but many non-herit arts have always faced a deficit in the market. How do you view the current status of domestic intangibles in the market?

Zhu Bingren: There are many methods for the inheritance of intangibles, but many intangibles have become cultural artifacts and cannot be inherited to future generations. The change of lifestyle has caused many things to disappear. The intangible remains is a method of production. The way in which production methods are preserved preserves the methods of history, and it is also a way of retaining history. Although many manufacturing processes can be replaced by mechanical processes, the significance of manual manufacturing is unmatched by industrial manufacturing and is even more precious. Intangibles will face many problems if they operate in a pure business model. Therefore, the government should strengthen the protection of intangible cultural heritage, non-genetic inheritance should also keep up with the times, while inheriting traditions, using non-heritage skills to create more In line with the era of works.

Beijing Business Daily: When it comes to innovation, you have to say your art of melting copper. What do you think of molten copper as an art form? What will be the space for future development?

Zhu Bingren: We have been talking about how we should pass on the culture and art of copper. If we are always in the garden of history and culture, then our art will always stand still. The art of melting copper is actually inspired by a fire. Named after the scientific process, it should be called "moldless and controllable forging" technology. It should be said that each piece of the copper melting art is unique and cannot be copied. This form can allow the artist's ideas and operations to create works that are more natural and close to the essence of copper. Because there are many forms of melting copper work, such as copper bonsai and copper fused murals, it may also appear in future architectural and decorative materials. At the same time, the art of melting copper is unique, and it also has the necessary elements for collection on the basis of freehand beauty. Therefore, the overall development space is worth looking forward to.

Beijing Business Daily: From the Jiangnan Copper House, Zhu Bingren Copper, the Zhu Bingren Museum of Art of 798, the Zhu Bingren Tong Wenchuang Art Museum of the Forbidden City's Qianlong Garden, it is not difficult to see that you have been trying hard to promote “Tibetan Copper to the People” and let the Copper Culture is back in the people's life. What do you think is the significance of bronze artifacts?

Zhu Bingren: Copper is now in a delicate position. Young people do not have brass in their homes because bronzes are gradually replaced by pottery, glazed, stainless steel and other products, which have faded people’s lives. Nowadays people do not regard copper as a kind of high-end cultural enjoyment. Copper was a symbol of wealth in the past life, and it has a high status in daily life. The "Ding" in "Aspiration to the Central Plains" is a bronze ware. It is a symbol of wealth. The state-owned weigher has a heavy treasure. The heavy equipment at that time was the tripod. I want to bring copper back to people's lives through communication and bring the copper culture of the Forbidden City home. The purpose of doing copperware promotion is also to "hide copper to the people", that is, to reserve resources in the future when resources for copper resources are not available. Copper should not fade out of people's lives and should be returned to the lives of ordinary people. The promotion of copper culture needs everyone's support. As an art, copper buildings have a great influence on people's lives. Copper buildings not only left us with copper culture, but also left behind copper resources. Our life is inseparable from copper. The ancient bronze ware was a historical thing. It was left by the ancients. What can we leave to future generations? We want to leave a contemporary era of quality.

Beijing Business Daily: Many people think that art and business cannot co-prosperity. How do you deal with the relationship between art and business?

Zhu Bingren: I am not very successful in business, but when making a work, we must consider how this work is used by the people. The work must first be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It is important to art how to serve life. The core of art is beauty. The decoration on the bronze wares, despite its prostheticity, has brought a lot of beauty to our lives after being artistically processed. At that time, the makers were artists. Modern art should not focus on uniqueness but also return to the ranks of the United States in order to reflect the value of art.

Beijing Business Daily: You set up the Museum of Art in Beijing 798, a gathering place for cultural and entrepreneurial industries. You have also launched Zhu Bingren·Cu, a cultural and creative brand. How do you understand the cultural and creative industries?

Zhu Bingren: From a certain point of view, the cultural and creative industries are based on inheriting culture and returning culture to life. Many of the previous cultural innovations were more of works of art, and their use value was very low. Some items had high use value, but art content was very low. Many of the things uploaded by history are themselves cultural and creative works. Integrating art into practical values ​​is a new perspective of current cultural creativity. The cultural creativity of the “Taipei Forbidden City” is a representative of China. It is very popular in the world and there are many places where we can learn.

Beijing Business Daily: After reading your collection of poems, “Clouds,” there are many feelings. I would like to describe you as a cross-border person. You are not only a bronze artist. You are still writing poetry, calligraphy, painting, and photography. Why do you like to write poetry? What do you think of the art of these different categories to your copper art creation?

Zhu Bingren: The universe is a big view of life, and it is a poem. Art is analogous, and when it comes to completing each bronze sculpture, there will be too much insight into life. Its philosophy can be expressed through poetry. With so much art and life sentiment being absorbed in poetry, there is a natural state of mind.

Beijing Business Daily: What are your recent exhibition plans? What new works will be there to meet with you?

Zhu Bingren: We are likely to conduct an international tour of the Paddy Rice Road, which we recently toured in Taiwan. Recently I am still preparing to make copper stamps, using contemporary techniques and integrating traditional Chinese landscapes. Their texture is a natural expression of beauty, and each side is unique. Compared to jade, crystal and other materials, copper's texture and toughness will be different, so the tools and methods of making will be different from other seals, and there are plans to do a copper stamp thematic exhibition.