DIY Courses in Beijing

2017-08-22

Making a Kite

With history of more than 2,000 years, kite flying in China has developed into a sports activity as well as entertainment. Beijing kites, one of the major six kinds of kites in China, along with Weifang kite, Tianjin kite, Nantong kite, Jiangnan kite, and Taiwan kite, have their own characteristics. It boasts delicate frameworks, precise colored drawings, naturalness and gracefulness, and a high worthiness of being viewed and admired.

It is common to find the city's sky peppered with different kinds of kites on windy days. Now you can join in this relaxing hobby by heading down to the family-run former kite makers from the Qing royals to make a handmade kite. Sanshizhai has been around for more than a century, specializing in handcrafted kites with traditional shapes like swallows, butterflies, eagles, and dragonflies.

Address: No. 25 Di'anmen West Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing

Tel: +86 10 8404 4505

Drawing a Moon-shaped Fan

“Shaking in hand and a cool breeze embraces you,” this is one description of the cooling power of the delicate Chinese fan. China has been dubbed the "kingdom of fans" for many years.

There were many kinds of fans in ancient China, though only two types with paintings, moon-shaped fan or rigid fan, popular in the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), and folding fan, prevalent in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The moon-shaped fan was often used as a cover to hide a female's mouth or face when laughing, to add more charm to the shy women of ancient times.

In Beijing, there are some studios which offer lessons for moon-shaped fan painting. Huiliang Xiaoyuan is one of them. It is an offline community of Guohui Academy, an online cultural exchange community co-sponsored by the China Radio International and Beijing Huizhi Chuangwen Technology Co., Ltd.

Apart from moon-shaped fan painting lessons, it also offers other cultural training lessons, such as Guqin (a plucked seven-string instrument of Chinese zither family), Chinese tea tasting, Chinese painting and martial arts. For more information, just pay a visit to Wudaoying hutong.

Address: No. 35 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tel: 13301010105

Customizing a Folding Fan

If you don’t have the time to draw one, then you can pick up customized fans for you or your friends. Different from the moon-shaped fans, folding fans are more convenient to carry. Founded in Beijing in 2012, Jing Fan is a brand of Chinese folding fan. Although it is a newly started brand, its handmade fans with exquisite appearance and traditional craft technology have gained great praises from buyers from home and abroad.

Due to the limited space, special shape and different textures of these fans, it is very difficult to paint on a fan. The average price of a fan is about 200 RMB to 400 RMB. Embedding the great history and culture of ancient China, it is an ideal gift for tourists.

Stores:

Yanxiedai Store: No. 46 Yanxiedai Street, Xicheng District, Beijing. 010-64069346

Yindian Bridge Store: No. A 75 Yandaixie Street, Xicheng District, Beijing. 010-64553797

Nanluoguxiang Store: No. 70 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing. 010-64008520

The Palace Museum Donghuamen Store: No. 83 Donghuamen Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. 010-65283511

798 Art District Store: Middle 2nd Street, 798 Art District, No 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. 010- 57626317

Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) Store: No. 33 Boarding Gate, T2, BCIA. 010-64566268

Drawing a Gongbi Painting

As an important genre of Chinese art, Gongbi is a careful realistic technique in Chinese painting, the opposite of the interpretive and freely expressive Xieyi (water-ink paintings) style. Started in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) it flourished between the Tang and Song dynasties (7th to 13th centuries) when these refined paintings were endorsed and collected by the royal families of China.

Due to the complicated skills, Gongbi Painting was often practiced by artists working for the royal court or wealthy people.

MUYE Space is an independent art space located in a small, ancient yet modern hutong in Beijing. It offers Gongbi painting lessons and hosts exhibitions and other projects related to the Chinese culture.

Address: No. 20 Jingtu Hutong, Gulou Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tel: 010-84083772

DIYing a Bamboo Bicycle

Started in 2013 as a fun social project, Bamboo Bicycles Beijing (BBB) studio teaches people to learn how to make bamboo bicycles at weekends. Even the inexperienced in bicycle-making can make one in just two days. Every weekend, BBB builds 4-5 custom bamboo bike frames with people from a range of backgrounds and experience.

The detailed schedule would be:

  • Day 1, 9AM-5PM: Shape your bamboo frame

  • Select unique bamboo pieces for your frame.

  • Shape the bamboo to fit into the shape of a bicycle frame.

  • Lightly tack your bicycle frame into shape.

  • All the while we share music, go out for lunch in Beijing’s hutong neighborhood, and make some great new friends!

Day 2, 9AM-5PM: Make your bamboo frame strong

  • Wrap your bamboo bicycle frame’s joint in carbon fiber and fiberglass to give the frame super strength without losing the lightness.

  • Add in bamboo brace, brake bridge, and other detailing work.

  • Set frame aside to cure and get a coat of wax to keep it fresh!

Address: 26 LangJia Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tel: 13671003846

Notice: This is not an official recommendation, but just from a personal view.

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