Wang Shixiang China

Wang Shixiang has done meticulous research into popular culture and crafts of PR China. By documenting and disseminating this knowledge of traditions and skills, he has assisted in overcoming the disruption of the Cultural Revolution, thus saving and transferring a cultural legacy for the modern and future generations. Particularly renowned for his study of the design, technology and social history of Chinese furniture, he created a unique collection which inspires museums, craftspeople and scholars around the world. The collection was confiscated by the then communist regime but later returned and is now a national heritage treasure. Wang’s wide-ranging expertise encompasses many fields from the esoteric to the everyday, including lacquer ware, carved gourds, manuscripts in classical Chinese language, bamboo, ivory, wood and horn carving, the ancient Chinese lute, gourmet food, falconry, breeding crickets, pigeon rearing and pigeon whistling. His knowledge is shared through renowned publications which are in many cases the only text on the subject. A highly respected classical scholar with a passionate interest in the life of the community and its cultural heritage, as well as a commentator on Chinese culture abroad, Wang forms a bridge between the old and the new China. Through his dedicated work he has saved and promoted arts and crafts that were almost lost, even to the Chinese people themselves.