Named Among Wenzhou's Sixth Batch of Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors
Zhi Shaoyun is formally recognised by the city for the art of silver forging — a distinction held by a handful of craftsmen, and the highest official mark of the lineage he keeps.
The title of municipal intangible cultural heritage inheritor is not given for a single fine piece. It is awarded to a craft still practised as a living trade: a lineage of hands, kept whole. Silver forging in Yueqing has been carried this way for generations, and this sixth batch names those who keep it today.
In the workshop, the work begins with the ingot and ends with the polish — raising, chasing, inlay and burnishing, each step learned by years at the bench. From tea vessels to ceremonial ware, every surface speaks the same language of hammer and flame. The recognition belongs as much to the tradition as to the man.
