Artisan Li Jing graces Chinese traditional cut silk circular fan

China

Artisan Li Jing graces Chinese traditional cut silk circular fan

2018-02-01 12:49 Last Updated At：12:50

In 2016, super models and film stars offered some stunning fashion shots with the round fans in their hands.

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Liu Wen. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

Fan Bingbing. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

Liu Wen. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

Fan Bingbing. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

Li Jing. /By CGTN

CGTN Photo

Dressed in western gown in a British castle, Chinese supermodel Liu Wen still managed to convey the charm and grace of an oriental woman holding a delicate fan.

Fan Bingbing, who played in many costume dramas, also used the round fan to connect the classical and the modern fashion.

The round fans are from the Leisure Cottage Round Fan Studio in Suzhou, east China. The studio is located inside the deep lanes, with a classical garden just like the ones in ancient poems and paintings. Li Jing is the owner of the studio. Although graduated from a design school, he wasn't a professional round fan craftsman at the beginning.

Round fans, also called circular fans, were first seen in the dynasty of Han, and became important belongings for women in the palace during the Tang and Song dynasties. Painters and poets liked to leave their works on the fans, turning them into pieces of art. Women tended to hide their faces behind the fans to show their elegance. Sometimes they would use the fans to imply the solitary life in the royal palace. All these infused the round fans with a sense of feminine grace and sorrow.

Li got to know about the round fans through traditional operas. He found them very appealing as props on stage. Later he began to collect antiques, including pieces of round fans. "Round fan was actually one of the earliest fans in China. In the poems and literature works even before the dynasty of Ming, the 'fans' all referred to round fans. It has such a long history," explains Li.

"I got some frames and handles from the antique markets. They had very beautiful carvings, which attracted me so much. I took them to Suzhou, hoping to find some craftsmen to restore them."

To his surprise, there wasn't any craftsman in the city who was able to restore the k'o-ssu fans. As a dedicated collector who always wanted to have control, Li decided to do it himself. Bringing all his savings, plus 100 thousand yuan given by his father and 50 thousand lent by friends, he came to Suzhou and established the studio. He went to every corner of the counties around on foot, searching for the craftsmen who still knew the k'o-ssu technique.

K'o-ssu fans require very sophisticated techniques. In ancient times, they were exclusive to the royal families. An old craftsman said: "K'o-ssu was as valuable as gold. If you used the wrong color here, you'll have to dismantle it and do it all over again."

It may take several craftsmen to finish a round fan inlaid with gold and silver threads. However, most of the craftsmen are in their sixties or seventies. They don't have successors. "Young people wouldn't learn it," says Li, "although I want to promote the traditional things so that people can enjoy it."

Li believes that the most attractive part in the round fans is the classical aesthetics: "The Chinese values inner spirits more than the figures. When we make a butterfly, it doesn't have to be exactly the same as a real one. How do we make it as beautiful, but not limited to the real thing? We'd have to put our own imagination and preference in it. That's why the traditional art is fascinating."

For Li, making fans is like communicating with the ancient people. The enjoyable hobby, however, has to meet the reality: "As the craftsmen, we hope that more people could appreciate its beauty and be willing to spend money on it. The art can be passed on, but not merely by preaching the love for it."

After Mike McDaniel's firing, the Dolphins could pursue John Harbaugh or another experienced coach

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins continued an organizational reboot on Thursday, firing coach Mike McDaniel amid an ongoing search for a new general manager.

Miami owner Stephen Ross will be looking for his fourth head coach since 2018.

“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change,” Ross said in a statement Thursday morning.

There were plenty of indications that a change of some sort would be necessary as Miami's 2025 season unfolded, and Ross parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier after a Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, following the decision to move on from McDaniel after four seasons, the Dolphins will likely face another full rebuild after gutting their roster in 2019 and stockpiling draft picks.

Miami lost six of its first seven games and finished 7-10, missing the playoffs for a second straight year. Star receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, and struggling former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa was benched by the end of the season.

The Dolphins opened the season with 33-8 drubbing by Daniel Jones and the Colts, a game in which they looked unprepared and did little on either side of the ball. A week later, they were undone by miscues and miscommunication against the Patriots when they had multiple late chances to take the lead.

Many of their other defeats — a 10-point loss to a Bills team McDaniel beat only twice in his tenure, a three-point loss to the Carolina Panthers and a two-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — all saw the Dolphins fail to deliver after giving themselves a chance.

One week after squandering a 17-0 lead at Carolina, the Dolphins led Los Angeles by one point with 46 seconds remaining before allowing Justin Herbert to lead his team down the field to set up a game-winning field goal.

Calls for McDaniel’s dismissal were frequent this season. Ahead of Miami's first three home games, fans had crowdsourced a banner that was flown over Hard Rock Stadium calling for his firing.

His players publicly backed him.

“Us as players, we believe in him,” offensive tackle Patrick Paul said during the season. “He believed in me when most didn’t, and he’s a great coach. He’s a players’ coach who believes in his players. He inspires us and speaks confidence into us and makes us go out there with a sense of urgency. ... We love him.”

Ross apparently felt the same way, saying in Thursday's statement that he loves McDaniel.

But with loads of talent to work with during his four years and no playoff wins to show for it, that affection wasn't enough to save McDaniel's job in a results-based league.

Miami joined seven other NFL teams with head coaching vacancies, including Baltimore, which fired longtime coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday.

The Dolphins' immediate concern, though, will be finding a new GM, with Hall of Famer Troy Aikman aiding in that process.

Miami completed an initial phase of interviews with potential candidates earlier this week and was set to hold in-person interviews with four of them.

Among those scheduled for those interviews were Champ Kelly, Miami's interim GM since the midseason firing of Grier; Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander; Green Bay vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and San Francisco director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.

Ross has not hired someone with previous head coaching experience since becoming the Dolphins' majority owner in 2009 — recently gambling on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25).

That could change — especially now that a coach with Harbaugh's experience and resume is available.

Many have already linked Harbaugh to Miami, though the coach has reportedly not yet been in talks with the organization.

Following Harbaugh's dismissal by the Ravens on Tuesday, the Dolphins requested an interview with Alexander for their GM opening. Alexander, who joined the Chargers' front office ahead of the 2024 season, has a long history with Harbaugh, having worked in various roles for the Ravens over 20 seasons.

Ross, a Michigan graduate, also a has ties to the Harbaugh family. He has poured in millions of dollars to the university as a donor and has previously pursued Jim Harbaugh to coach the Dolphins.

If Ross decides to take a chance on another inexperienced coach, he may consider Anthony Weaver, Miami's defensive coordinator who has interviewed for head coaching jobs the past few years and is already well-regarded by Dolphins players.

Other experienced targets could include former Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy; Vance Joseph, the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator who had the same role with the Dolphins in 2016; or Kevin Stefanski, who was recently fired by Cleveland.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl