Modern-Day Marco Polo: Apprenticeship in Traditional Chinese Crafts

NANTONG, SUZHOU and NANJING, China, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Youth Daily:

2024 marks the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's passing. This year, Alessandro Martini, a young man from Milan, Italy, graced the stage in the dance theatre production"Invisible Cities", embodying his idol, Marco Polo. Alessandro has longed for coming to China ever since he heard about Marco Polo's story in elementary school. Several years later, he finally came to China. Over the past eight years, Alessandro has travelled to most parts of China and been thrilled to discover that the mysterious Chinese intangible cultural heritage is a collection of Chinese wisdom and techniques that can be touched and learnt. As a modern-day "Marco Polo", Alessandro frequently visits uniquely charming cities to master traditional Chinese crafts and delve into local youth-run shops and museums. Guided by young inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, he immerses himself in these fascinating Eastern techniques, eagerly sharing his discoveries with a global audience.

Alessandro traveled to Nantong in Jiangsu Province with the intent to learn the renowned Blue Calico dyeing technique. This beautiful city, which was once mentioned in "The Travels of Marco Polo", is known for its rich cultural heritage. The raw materials used in Blue Calico, such as cotton and "Lan" grass (Polygonum tinctorium Ait), which provides the indigo dye, are all sourced from nature. The technique's blue and white color scheme mirrors the natural world, embodying the Chinese philosophy of living in harmony with nature.

Furthermore, Alessandro travelled to Suzhou in Jiangsu, to visit the Xiangshan Guild and learn about the mortise and tenon technique. As is widely known, Marco Polo's hometown, Venice, and Suzhou in China are sister cities. While the Xiangshan Guild might not be widely known internationally, its craftsmanship is evident in iconic structures such as the Forbidden City, Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs, and the Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden. These magnificent architectural masterpieces are all crafted by the Xiangshan Guild. The mortise and tenon joints use no nails or glue. These joints perfectly interlock, maintaining their original forms and balance without overstepping, thereby standing resilient for centuries. This method exemplifies the Chinese philosophical approach to combining strength and flexibility, a testament to the sophisticated engineering and deep cultural wisdom of traditional Chinese construction.

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