Inheritor’s efforts to promote silver jewelry
2025-03-16
Over a hundred silver objects, such as the paired silver enamel hollow bracelets from the Qing Dynasty, the peony gilt buyao from the Republic of China, and the longevity lock with folk characteristics of southern Hunan, are on display in the Chenzhou Jiule Silver Jewelry Collection Exhibition Hall. Meanwhile, the display boards with Korean notes and modern jewelry incorporating traditional patterns in the international exhibition hall reveal its ambitious goal to “go global”.
In the corner of Jiule Workshop, Gao Congwen, the inheritor of Chenzhou silver jewelry forging techniques, which is a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage project, was busy tapping a piece of raw silver. After being hammered and chiseled five to six hundred times, the raw silver will eventually transform into an exquisite bracelet after multiple processes such as shaping and polishing.
Gaoji Handmade Silver was founded in 1916. Gao Congwen, the fourth generation inheritor of the Gaoji Silver Jewelry family, began to learn silver forging techniques at the age of 15 and has promoted it for over 30 years so far.
“Traditional craftsmanship is the most precious treasure,” he said. The handmade silver jewelry collections displayed in the exhibition hall is a collection of silver jewelry treasures and old silverware that Gao Congwen spent several years searching for in the southern Hunan. Many of them come from the old collection created by hisancestors. These exhibits record the historical changes of silver jewelry and carry his profound understanding of traditional craftsmanship.
In 2007, Gao Congwen first combined handmade silver jewelry with e-commerce, becoming a pioneer of integrating traditional intangible heritage techniques with the Internet. In 2016, he established Chenzhou Jiule E-commerce Co., Ltd. It has developed into a comprehensive enterprise integrating silver product design, research and development, production, sales, promotion of silver culture, and manual technique study, becoming a leader in the national silver jewelry industry.
In 2020, the Silver Jewelry Forging Technique of the company was approved as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage project.
“The cultural heritage of Chenzhou has been deeply integrated into my silver jewelry creation,” said Gao Congwen. The handmade silver sculpture “Chenzhou” in the silver jewelry products exhibition hall integrates famous scenic areas in Chenzhou such as Gaoyi Ridge, Suxian Ridge, Mangshan Mountain, and Dongjiang Lake.
In addition, he also showcased silver bracelets forged through enamel technology, which incorporate the unique phoenix pattern and blessing elements of Chenzhou. “These accessories not only carry the cultural characteristics of Chenzhou but also cater to the aesthetic needs of young people through innovative designs of traditional patterns,” he said.
During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the silver jewelry from Jiule shone in the “Chenxin Chenyi” live-streaming room created by the Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau of Beihu District, attracting many viewers with its auspicious meaning and exquisite design.
“Our intangible cultural heritage silver jewelry exhibition hall welcomed the first batch of Korean tourists this year on January 30,” said Gao Congwen. With the Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference, a large number of foreign tourists flocked to Chenzhou, and handmade silver jewelry is also highly favored by international tourists. He specially built an international exhibition hall of over 300 square meters and incorporated international elements into product design.
During the Spring Festival holiday, Jiule Silver Jewelry achieved significant breakthroughs in sales performance with its rich and diverse product styles, high-quality services, and precise marketing strategies. The overall sales revenue reached 18 million yuan, an increase of 5% compared to the same period last year. A special offline exhibition hall was set up, which received outstanding sales results from Korean tour groups, with sales reaching 100,000 yuan.
“We hope to make more people learn about the charm of Chenzhou silver jewelry and promote it worldwide,” said Gao Congwen.
Chinese source: rednet
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