Old skill gets modern twist

A remarkable work of Teng is a nine-dragon screen that he led many other craftsmen to make in 1997 to welcome the return of Hong Kong to China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Fengning Manchu autonomous county, his hometown. The work is 9 meters long and 3 meters high, depicting dragons in rich colors.

Two of his works have been chosen to be displayed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and two others have been collected by the National Museum of China. More exhibits are at Longteng Museum in Fengning.

UNESCO conferred the title of "master of industrial folk art" on Teng in 2003.

After Teng passed away in 2018, his daughters, grandson, granddaughter-in-law and his students continue his work. Some have developed it further.

Teng's business has also helped poverty alleviation. According to Hao, who is the deputy director of Longteng Museum, local people, mostly women, are being recruited to assist with the work.

"This job enables us to work in the vicinity of our homes. We don't have to migrate to other places to seek employment, and we can still take care of farming work, as well as our children and the elderly people," says Fu Yanhua, 50, who works part-time at the museum.

Contact the writer at wangru1@chinadaily.com.cn