Zhong Ming, a framing expert in Hai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Zhong Ming, born in Hai'an, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, is renowned for his superb skill in framing paintings and calligraphy works.

Framing is a traditional handicraft in China that enjoys a history of more than 1,000 years and is mainly used to decorate and repair paintings, calligraphy works, and rubbings from stone inscriptions.

Zhong's studio is hung with framed calligraphy works. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

According to Zhong, before framing a work, one must carefully review the painting or calligraphy work to identify their paper and the properties of ink as well as analyze the color, a crucial step for framing.

The quality of paste, which is the only adhesive for traditional manual framing, is also of great importance to framing, said Zhong.

A framed art work by Zhong. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Some people do not understanding the importance of framing to art works and therefore, they use chemical adhesives to replace paste, noted the handicraftsman.

He added that chemical adhesives will make the paper lose its original flexibility and as time goes by, the paper will become tender and some even lose reversibility, leading to the loss of the economic value of framed art works.

A person repairs a traditional Chinese painting. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

While inheriting the traditional skills, Zhong has also made some innovations on the constitution. He believes that an outstanding painting or calligraphy work is the resonance of aesthetic ideas between framing expert and artist.

Framer experts can make some recreations based on the art works waiting to be framed with ingenious design, according to Zhong.