(MASTER OF CRAFTS) CHINA-TIANJIN-MA'S FILIGREE MOSAIC ART-INHERITOR (CN)

(240508) -- TIANJIN, May 8, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Ma Sai (R, back) and his girlfriend Min Fangping (L, back) watch a Hanfu enthusiast posing for photos in Tianjin, north China, March 7, 2024. Ma's Filigree Mosaic art, a city-level intangible cultural heritage in Tianjin, attracted the attention of the whole country when an accessory made with it appeared on the head of a Chinese actress during the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Dragon, staged by China Central Television, also called CCTV. Filigree Mosaic art, first seen in the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.), greeted its peak season in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The craft, having a history of more than 2,000 years, goes through complicated procedures and was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008. Two main steps are involved in the craft, namely making filigree and making mosaic. Using malleable materials such as gold and sliver to make thin threads and then forming different shapes is called filigree art. Inlayin