Traditional Arts Crafts and Music
Founded in 1904 for the purpose of “preserving inscriptions on metal and stone, studying the art of seal engraving, as well as painting and calligraphy,” the Society is the oldest, highest achieving, and most influential among China’s civic associations in the field of sigillography, and is known as “China’s best association.” The Xiling Seal Engravers Society is located at the southern foot of Gushan Hill by West Lake, an area replete with items of historic interest and elegant gardens, and renowned for the “unsurpassed lake and hills.”
In 2009, Chinese seal engraving art, represented by the Xiling Seal Engravers Society and others, was selected to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Xiling Society of the Seal Art consists of four architectural complexes: Bai Tang architectural complex in front of the mountain, Shan Chuan Yu Lu Library at Front Mountain – Liang Tang architectural complex, Guan Le Tower on the top of the mountain – Hua Yan Jing Ta (Avatamsaka Sutra Tower) architectural complex, and Huan Pu Cottage on the back mountain – Jian Pavilion architectural complex. Except the creation and study of seal cutting, painting and calligraphy, Xiling Society of the Seal Art has also made great achievements in cultural relics collection and study, edition and publication, international cultural exchange, and other fields.
（Source: Official Website of Xiling Society of the Seal Art, materials of Charming Hangzhou, Official Website of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area Management Committee）
