The like-minded great artists and artisans are always alone.
‘Artists’ focus on creating works pleasing his spiritual desire while the work of ‘artisans’ focuses on accessorizing and functionality in order to satisfy the needs of a customer. The work of artists and artisans can both show aesthetics but the style of an artist is more individualistic and thus artificially cherished. The artists exhibit their work in museums or galleries. Artisans often sell their crafts at fairs and shops, and they welcome commercial order in large quantities.
What does it mean to commission art? ‘Commissioning art’ is when a client hires an artist to create an artwork based on his request. Hotels like to commission an artist to do decorative art prints for rooms. When an artist is too eager to do commissioning art, he is no different from an artisan.
Some artisans refuse to produce works without passion and just to fulfill a need. They have artistry in their souls and their visions are artistic. For that, a great artisan may be better than an unremarkable artist, and for that, let us salute our city’s 96-year-old extraordinary artisan Master Wong Kai (黃佳) who has been making ‘lions’ for lion dances since 1940s. The lion dance is usually performed during traditional, cultural and religious festivals. It may also be performed on important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations and wedding ceremonies.
The Chinese lion dance is usually operated by 2 kung fu dancers, one of whom manipulates the head while the other moves the rear end of the lion. Chinese lion dance fundamental movements are a kind of Chinese marital arts and the movements take place to a vigorous beat with drum, gong and cymbal.
The crux of success of a lion dance is whether the ‘lion’ looks like a real lion? There are northern and southern ‘lions’. The appearance of the lion artifact does matter. Does the lion head look pretty? Is its hair soft and tactile? Are its eyes sharp and brave? Are the ornaments and patterns unique and eye-catching? Is the body graceful and regal, with flowing manes and a delicate tail?
Master Wong Kai is small, slim, healthy but a bit feeble. He thinks sharply and a walking cane is always next to him. He did not look like 96 years old. Money is irrelevant to him. A kind factory owner gave to him some corridor space so that he can continue his artisan career. Master Wong smiled, “When I don’t eat or sleep, I work. I only work for customers who appreciate my art.”
He recollected, “I was born in Canton (the present name is Guangzhou). When I was a kid in the 1940s, I was a helper in my father’s flower farm. Soon, World War II took place and we fled to Shek Tong Tsui (石塘咀) of Hong Kong. Dad took me to temple fairs and I participated in lion dances. I was greatly fascinated by the lion artifact and decided to be an artisan. I made dance lions and dance dragons. In the 1950s, I made even small dance snakes, fishes and prawns around the dragon when festival celebrations were grand in those years. Now, all such dances are small-scale. Young people look down on traditional cultures.”
Master Wong sighed, “I have been looking for an apprentice or successor for more than 60 years but people just came and left. It requires at least 15 to 20 years, through practice and experience, to acquire the artisan skills of making a dance lion. As income is bad but the time and effort to be spent are out of proportion, young people would prefer being a factory or office worker.”
I asked, “Master, I was told that a dance lion consists of 13 parts. Could you briefly tell me what they are?” Master Wong took a sip of puerh tea and explained, “A remarkable dance lion can be revealed on the craftsmanship, such as (1) forehead painted with unique patterns, (2) particular face colour patterns representing a certain historical hero, (3) rustproof and reflective mirror placed on forehead, (4) silky smooth pompoms, (5) firm and unturned nose,(6) graceful ‘buddha’ or ‘crane’ mouth, (7) bold and perky horn, (8) movable and cute ears, (9) hair that is made from good rabbit hair, (10) a pair of blinking eyes, (11) shining molded teeth, (12) beard made of horse tail hair and (13) top grade fabrics for the lion body.”
Master is proud of himself and said, “Apart from the aesthetic sense, my success depends of course, on my craftsmanship and also one important thing—the availability of great materials. Unfortunately, we now live in a world of relying on fast, cheap, ready and factory-made supplies. Let me give you a few examples. It is not easy any more to find fine horse tail hair. How can I afford 100% silk for the pompom? Where can I find animal teeth to fabricate those of a dance lion? Good old days are gone. Modern people just want more and more, and in a speedy way. They have no interest in or patience with nice old things.”
I was silent. Master Wong’s friend Sam Tam (譚定邦) who arranged this great interview added, “I am a kung fu master. I am also sad to see the gradual loss of Chinese traditions and cultures in Hong Kong. The city is moving too fast and relentlessly. Mass production replaces highly skilled artisans with a large number of sub-divided unskilled jobs with lower wages for workers in a factory environment.”
Master replied, “In Mainland China, they now use big factories to manufacture dance lions and dragons. They use low-quality and inexpensive materials such as yuanbao paper (元寶紙), plastics and nylon strings. Hand painting is no longer necessary and replaced by those printing machines.”
I was silent for a while again. I said, “Industrialization imposes its harsh rhythm onto humans. Operating it, we also move mechanically and un-spiritually, and become part of the machine.”
Master Wong drew a deep breath and said, “Be it as it may. I am Wong Kai. I insist on my own ways. I can die at any moment but I insist on working as an artisan with artistic determination and ambition. I still want to create more dance lions in Hong Kong and tell the future generations what are the best forms, molds, materials and processes for such art pieces. Factories cannot and will not defeat artisans. I work alone on a factory corridor as an artisan every day with no regrets.”
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” I look at the great dance lions created by Master Wong Kai and feel strongly one thing: success is the result of a perfectionist’s attitude—hard work, hard work and hard work!
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