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The Journal of Ancient Chinese Arts and Crafts (JACAC) is an international scholarly journal published by MSPL. JACAC implements a peer-reviewed, open-access policy for original articles and is published twice a year in both print and online formats. All articles in JACAC are under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND, version 4.0). Copyright for each article belongs to its author(s) and is published by MSPL. 


JACAC is a scholarly platform dedicated to promoting the culture of ancient Chinese arts and crafts, including painting, sculpture, calligraphy, handicrafts, and more. The main goal of JACAC is to share the culture, thought, and theory of ancient Chinese arts and crafts, disseminate ancient brilliant achievements, promote the study of ancient culture, and strive to be a leader in these fields. In addition, JACAC is also a digital platform that promotes scholarly research and exchange. Welcome researchers from different disciplinary perspectives to submit manuscripts in English.

Open Access


Vol 1, 2025
Open Access


JACAC 2025, 3 (2), 44-66; https://doi.org/10.59528/ms.jacac2025.1222a14 - December 22, 2025

 

Yuyao Zhao * 

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Research Article
Keywords: Folk art; Jin-style painted festival towers; Ritual; Narrative; Design

Abstract: This study aims to reveal the archetypal modes of thinking and aesthetic structures embedded in the collective consciousness of the Chinese people by examining the deep generative logic of folk art. Taking Jin-style painted festival towers (晋式彩楼) as a representative case, the paper focuses on their narrative mechanisms and semiotic system, summarizing their core strategies as four forms of substitution: formal imitation, material substitution, craft substitution, and functional substitution. Together, these four substitutions constitute the fundamental grammar through which Jin-style painted festival towers are translated from everyday utilitarian objects into festive spectacles. More specifically, the narrative principles of Jin-style painted festival towers can be distilled into four progressive and mutually permeating dimensions. First, structural simplification: through radical omission and geometric abstraction, practical constraints are stripped away, freeing maximal symbolic space for narration and establishing the formal precondition for the entire artistic system. Second, decorative alienation: exaggerated additions and accumulations are imposed upon the simplified framework, transforming decoration from a subordinate element into the dominant visual force and generating the core tension of visual impact. Third, chromatic dualization: symbolic orders are constructed through color oppositions—such as red/yellow and black/white—thereby establishing the tonal polarity of festivity and solemnity. Fourth, visual transgression: by deliberately exceeding vernacular norms in scale, volume, and degrees of extravagance, these structures produce a temporary yet intense inversion of hierarchy and values, sketching a utopian orientation specific to the festive moment. This paper argues that festivity is not merely an external occasion for the narrative of painted towers, but rather its intrinsic mechanism of completion. Only within the “state of exception” constituted by festive time do the aforementioned substitutions and transgressions attain legitimacy and full meaning; it is also only then that the painted tower truly becomes a “living text” that can be read and experienced. Through an archaeological dissection of this narrative system, the study seeks to demonstrate that folk art is not a marginal residue of “traditional culture,” but a symbolic practice endowed with a high degree of formal self-awareness and latent social critique. Its logic of multiple substitutions not only reveals the aesthetic strategies developed by Chinese communities under conditions of material scarcity—strategies of “achieving more with less” and “replacing the precious with the humble”—but also offers contemporary design a third possibility beyond the one-directional functionalism of modernism and the stylization of consumerism: a narrative design paradigm rooted in festive exceptionality, collective carnival, and the transgression of meaning.

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Call for Articles

JACAC is a scholarly journal founded in July 2023, committed to publishing high-quality, original research worldwide through scholarly publishing, with a peer-reviewed and no-fee open-access policy. The policy ensures that no fees are charged for either authors or readers.

Thematic research articles, literature reviews, and book reviews are the three types of original articles accepted by the journal. The subjects cover these fields of ancient Chinese painting, sculpture, calligraphy, handicrafts, and so on. JACAC aims to share ancient China's arts and crafts culture, thoughts, and theories, disseminate the brilliant achievements of ancient Chinese arts and crafts, promote the study of ancient Chinese arts and crafts, and strive to maintain a leading position in these fields. As both a scholarly resource and cultural bridge, JACAC continues to advance our understanding of these remarkable traditions while making them accessible to new generations of researchers, practitioners, and appreciators worldwide, ensuring that these ancient arts maintain their relevance in our contemporary global context. 


See Instructions for Authors for manuscript requirements.  

Submitting Your Manuscript: jacac-editor@michelangelo-scholar.com; jaca.editorialmanager01@gmail.com

or Online Submission System: https://ojs.michelangelo-scholar.com/index.php/JACAC/submissions

May 7th, 2025


PUBLISHED BY MICHELANGELO SCHOLAR PUBLISHING LIMITED

JACAC EDITORIAL OFFICE ADDRESS: ROOM A-2, 3/F, WING TAT COMMERCIAL BUILDING, 121-125 WING LOK STREET, SHEUNG WAN, HK.

E-MAIL:  jaca.editorialmanager01@gmail.com 

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Keywords: West Lake in Hangzhou; Decorative themes; Export lacquer screen; Pictorial representation

Abstract: Based on its unique natural scenery and the later humanistic shaping, the West Lake in Hangzhou gradually became one of the most popular themes in traditional Chinese culture and art since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Through the form of “Ten Scenes of West Lake,” it was transformed into an artistic carrier that integrated poetry, landscape and painting. After the Song Dynasty, the artistic theme of the West Lake increasingly broke through the traditional scholarly-oriented paradigm of classical landscape painting, and moved into the increasingly popular field of decorative arts. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this theme was assimilated into the construction of gardens as well as the decoration of furniture and daily objects through various designs and techniques. From the creation of landscape paintings to the production of woodblock print illustrations, and then to the development of lacquer screen decoration designs, the artistic expression of the scenery of the West Lake reflected the persistent spiritual pursuit of the Chinese people. They looked for an artistic life that integrated nature and human culture. Meanwhile, as the spread of Chinese export art in the Ming and Qing dynasties continued, the landscape of the West Lake in Hangzhou, as a regional landmark, became a popular subject for paintings and decorations. With this trend, this theme gradually spread to regions outside East Asia. Lacquered screens depicting the scenery of the West Lake and other movable artworks played a significant role in this process. With their circulation, the beauty of the West Lake was transmitted to all corners of the world.

by  Zhenji He * ,  Ya Ye

Research Article
Open Access


JACAC 2025, 3 (2), 26-43; https://doi.org/10.59528/ms.jacac2025.1019a13 - October 19, 2025

 

Research Article
Keywords: Northern Song dynasty; Tomb murals; Dining utensils; Banquet scenes

Yuanjun Cui , Hong He * 
Open Access


JACAC 2024, 3 (2), 1-25; https://doi.org/10.59528/ms.jacac2025.0930a12 - September 30, 2025

 

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Abstract: Banqueting was a cornerstone of Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE) social life, with dining utensils serving as vital artifacts that embodied the era’s aesthetic sensibilities, social customs, and cultural values. This study examines the typology, forms, and compositional arrangements of utensils depicted in Northern Song tomb murals, drawing on archaeological evidence from sites in Henan and Hebei, textual records, and surviving ceramics. It elucidates the ritual frameworks, social hierarchies, and dining practices reflected in banquet scenes, offering a comprehensive analysis of their role in Northern Song society. By correlating mural depictions with material artifacts, this research provides fresh insights into the interplay of functionality and symbolism in banquet culture and establishes a methodological framework for evaluating the authenticity and interpretive potential of historical imagery. The study underscores the critical role of material culture in reconstructing past social practices, contributing to a deeper understanding of Northern Song cultural history.

Research Article
Keywords: Chinese historical costume drama; Porcelain; Props; Politics and rights; Tangible verification; Accuracy and inaccuracy

Zhen Zhou * , Xiaoyun Ma      
Open Access


JACAC 2025, 3 (1), 35-48; https://doi.org/10.59528/ms.jacac2025.0630a11 - June 30, 2025

 

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Abstract: In an era of fast-food culture where entertainment often overshadows substance, a rigorous examination of Chinese culture should be conducted through the dissemination of entertainment, which is crucial for ensuring the public’s accurate understanding and interpretation of the culture. Movies and TV dramas, as vehicles of entertainment, often prioritize box office performance and online ratings as key metrics of success. Characters and plots may be fictional, but for those movies and TV dramas rooted in historical and cultural contexts, showcasing the essence of history and culture is of significance and necessity for the accuracy of such cultural depictions. Its significance lies in the faithful transmission of culture, while its necessity involves guiding the public toward a correct cultural understanding. This paper examines the porcelain culture depicted in the historical drama The Story of MingLan as a case study. The aim is not to utterly negate the effort put into the show’s props but rather to identify relevant issues and to analyze and discuss the discrepancies between the drama’s porcelain props and authentic artifacts/paintings from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).