Purple clay pottery by Ji Xishun. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Five craftsmen in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, made the list of 2023 Forbes China Top 100 Outstanding Craftsmen, according to an award ceremony held in Beijing on Dec 17.

The selection, the first of its kind, aims to honor and pay tribute to the outstanding artists in culture, art, and handicrafts.

Qiao Jinhong carves on bamboo. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Ji Xishun, while inheriting the cultural tradition of purple clay pottery, is good at making innovations and has expanded the development of the traditional art by tapping the pottery's daily use and blending Chinese paintings, calligraphy and sculpture into it.

Learning from renowned bamboo carving masters, Qiao Jinhong is adept at various carving techniques and many of his works have been displayed at international exhibitions.

A piece of double-sided fine embroidery by Zhao Yuhong. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Zhao Yuhong has mastered all the traditional embroidery techniques and innovated double-sided fine embroidery. She is dedicated to the research, creation, and promotion of Wuxi fine embrodiary and has cultivated multiple inheritors for the craft.

Huishan clay figurines by Wang Nanxian. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Wang Nanxian is skilled at making Huishan clay figurines following the image of opera figures. Her works feature bright colors, expressive expressions, and graceful ornamentation.

Cai Yu dresses up. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Cai Yu is the latest inheritor of the Mei School of Xiju Opera and has starred in Pearl Pagoda, Huishan Clay Figurines, Road of Juansheng, and more.