Since ancient times, Lingnan has had the custom of “committing friends with dragons”. “Picking dragon boats” on the Dragon Boat Festival is not only a traditional folk activity, but also an important ritual for people to visit relatives and friends. The dragon head is respected as the “soul” of the dragon boat. Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw is a detachable independent component. The dragon head has a different shape and a unique charm. It gives each dragon boat team a unique meaning. At the same time, the dragon head is vigorous and beautifully carved, and has become the object of people’s focus.
A craftsmanship, a craft, and a perseverance. They use a dragon boat bow to carve traditions, and also carve the spirit of craftsmanship and life.
Zhang Weichao has carved dragon boats with dragon heads and tails for more than 20 years. Liu Zhuonan photographed by Liu Zhuonan. The “head” who appeared at the Winter Olympics comes from this “post-80s” in Guangzhou. Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Liu Zhuonan Guo SiCinema 1950 witch cloth drawQi
In Huangpu, Guangzhou In Xiasha Village, Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, there is a special ancient ancestral hall in Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw. When you walk in, you can see that the blue brick wall is full of oars used for dragon boats. On the other side, exquisite dragon heads are arranged in a staggered manner, with longan eyes wide open, elegant beards and domineering. Walking further, I saw a wide range of woodcut tools such as planers, chisels, saws, files, etc. on the ground. Wood chips floated in the air, and the sounds of machines and knocks came one after another. This is Zhang Weichao’s dragon boat carving studio.
Zhang Weichao is a “post-80s”, 35 years old this year, he has been carving dragon boats with dragon heads and tails for more than 20 years. At the opening ceremony of this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, in the countdown session set by 24 solar terms, a leader with great Chinese traditional characteristics surfaced with splashes. This is Zhang Weichao’s leading work. From his childhood “Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw to the world stage now, Zhang Weichao has grown into a well-known dragon boat dragon head and tail carving craftsman in Guangdong, and is also the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of this project. He said: “Behind the dragon boat and dragon head skills is our folk culture, our roots and soul.”
Zhang Weichao’s leading works Photo provided by the interviewee
Start origin:
“Dragon boat is the most important cultural mark in my childhood”
Talking about the origin of the dragon boat and dragon head in Babaylan 1990 cloth drawFrom his origin with the dragon boat and dragon head, Zhang Weichao said that this was the most important cultural mark in his childhood. “I have loved watching dragon boat racing in the village since I was a child. Children will make some small toys by themselves. The little dragon boat model Babaylan 1990 cloth draw is one of them.” Zhang Weichao’s father is an old carpenter with a complete range of woodcarving tools in his home. He also learned some carving skills. With his interest and talent, he became the “ceiling” for carving dragon boats among his childhood playmates.
At the age of 12, Zhang Weichao sold his first dragon boat model. When he was in junior high school, people from other villages asked him to customize it. Gradually, Zhang Weichao became famous. He was still in school at that time and could only use his holidays to work, and a model often took a summer vacation. In order to understand the shape of dragon boats in a more diverse way, as soon as the Dragon Boat Festival comes, Zhang Weichao takes a ruler and a picture book to look at the dragon boats in the surrounding villages and record the data. At other times outside the Dragon Boat Festival, the dragon boats sink under the surging water, so Zhang Weichao often dives to understand the shape of the dragon boat. “At that time, I seemed to have entered another small world. I like these things and wanted to study them. My works were recognized and I was very proud.” Zhang Weichao said.
Zhang WeiKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawThe trend is carving the leading leader Liu Zhuonan. Photo by
Turn:
Resigned from the “iron rice bowl” and full-time carving the leading leader
2009 was a turning point for Zhang Weichao. At that time, he graduated from the auto repair major of vocational school and had been staying at the school as a practical teacher for more than a year. It is difficult to take into account both teaching and carving career, so he decided to resign and concentrate on dragon boat carving.Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw“It seemed that the whole world was opposing it. “At that time, there were only six or seven dragon boat production factories in Guangzhou, and there were only a handful of craftsmen who were full of hand-carved dragon boat dragon heads, and most of them were over 50 years old. Zhang Weichao, 22, made this choice, which seemed “very crazy” to many people. However, soon, he proved himself.
A month before the Dragon Boat Festival in 2010, Zhang Weichao received a difficult order. Luntou Village, Haizhu District urgently needed to be three new dragon heads. He had never carved dragon heads before, and he had to make three dragon heads in a month, and he was unsure. “The dragon head is the ‘soul’ of dragon boats and an important symbol of a village. They trust me and I have to make it anyway. “For this reason, Zhang Weichao worked day and night at home, and finally handed over three exquisite dragon heads on time. At that time, the news spread all of a sudden, and many people rushed to watch after hearing the news, “They were all surprised that I, who made a dragon boat model, actually made three dragon heads.” This also ushered in a turning point in his career. Draw Point – From dragon boat model carving to dragon head carving, he has also become a well-known industry star, with orders coming one after another.
Carving a dragon head is a very meticulous and complex task. Zhang Weichao introduced that hand-made faucets require more than ten tedious processes such as wood selection, material cutting, outline, carving to polishing, polishing, and lacquer mounting. The cycle of a dragon head can be completed, ranging from one week to ten or twenty days, but the early work often takes several months or even several years.
“Every time I receive an order, what I have to do first is not carving, but to go on-site inspections to understand the history and culture of the village. I will let the villagers participate, especially young people, and let them put forward some production ideas of the leader and make them in combination with their opinions. Babaylan 1990 cloth drawA dragon boat head may take decades or hundreds of years to use. While villagers participate in the production, they also understand their own village history and culture and increase their cultural pride. Such a leader is particularly warm and has a story. “Zhang Weichao said.
Zhang WeiKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawChao is carving the dragon head Liu Zhuonan Photo
Inheritance:
Find the cultural roots behind the dragon boat head
In 2020, the “Dragon Boat Dragon Head and Dragon Tail Production Skills” was successfully applied for World Heritage, and Zhang Weichao became the inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage project. Zhang Weichao’s mentality has changed some changes from a craftsman to a inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. “I used to be a craftsman in the past, and I thought about how to be a leader and do my job in my hands. But now I have more responsibility and responsibility. Intangible cultureBabaylan 1990 cloth draw HeritageKomiks 1960 witch clothes draw is a very precious and relatively rare thing. It may be a slowly disappearing culture. When we protect it, we want to disappear slowly. It is a very honor to be able to shoulder the inheritance of this historical and cultural heritage, and the responsibility is huge. “
Now Zhang Weichao often appears on major campuses and intangible cultural heritage inheritance activities. When teaching courses in school, Zhang Weichao not only teaches students how to carve, but more importantly, lets children understand the dragon boat and the cultural significance behind it. “The skills of dragon boats cannot be learned at once, but they must become interested in dragon boats. Cultivating their recognition of Chinese traditional culture and folk culture from an early age is our roots and soul.” Zhang Weichao said.
Chen Zhijun and his dragonBabaylan 1990 cloth draw head work provided by the interviewee
“60Later, “The craftsman uses the dragon boat to carry the people’s spiritual beliefs. Babaylan 1990 cloth draw‘s all-media reporter Zhou Cong
material selection, cutting, rough carving, fine carving, polishing, lacquer… “From the dragon’s mouth, dragon whiskers to the dragon scales, every time the knife is cut, it must be accurate, and it will be difficult to remedy if it fails. “Chen Zhijun, who has been learning art at the age of 15, has carved dragon heads for more than 40 years.
Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw is the most prosperous hometown of the Dongjiang River system dragon boats. Dragon head carving (traditional dragon boat) is the traditional carving technique of Xiancun Town, Zengcheng.
Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw As a dragon head carving technique project Chen Zhijun, the district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor, recalled that since he was 15, he learned carpentry with his father. He often watched by his father and learned the craftsmanship of carving dragon heads by watching. It was not until he was 22 that Chen Zhijun began to carve the first dragon head.
It is understood that in the early 1980s, after the revival of the folk dragon boat activities, the dragon boat production had not yet entered the shipyard production. If the village collective wanted to order dragon boats, it would hire a shipbuilder to come to build ships in the village. , and also need to find a master to carve the dragon head. Because the Chen family’s woodworking craftsmanship has a certain popularity, many local and surrounding people will hire Chen Zhijun’s father to carve the dragon head. Chen Zhijun also developed excellent carving skills under this background.
With the development of dragon boat activities, the dragon shipyard began to appear. From shipbuilding to carving the dragon head, the shipyard took care of all the links. The craftsmen of folk carving the dragon head gradually faded out of people’s sight, and Chen Zhijun was the one who was Babaylan 1990 clothes draw.
Until in recent years, the local youth dragon boat team in Xiancun customized a new dragon boat. The dragon boat team hoped to carve a new dragon head according to the traditional old dragon head. They inquired with the elderly in the village and learned that Chen Zhijun, the owner of the furniture factory in the town, was the inheritor of the Chen dragon head carving, so they came to ask Chen Zhijun to “come out” again.
When Chen Zhijun studied with his father, he was taught to understand the dragon boat culture contained in the dragon boat head. Only in this way can he carve the excellent craftsmanship be excellent., a leader with both spirit and form.
“Traditionality cannot be lost, the foundation cannot be missing. The essence of the Dongjiang dragon boat lies in the dragon boat’s bow! I hope Babaylan 1990 cloth draw carved a vital dragon boat’s bowKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw, and I used Babaylan 1990 cloth draw as a work of art.” Chen Zhijun has his own unique view on carving dragon heads.
The dragon head of a dragon boat represents the image of a village, especially the old dragon head left behind in the past. It records different stories from each village and is the carrier of dragon boat culture. Therefore, the essence of dragon boat lies in the dragon head. In the Dongjiang River Basin, dragon head is a major feature of dragon boats.
Whenever a villager comes to make a dragon boat bow, Chen Zhijun will ask about the historical folk allusions in the other village, and then integrate the characteristics of the gods believed in in each place into the creation of the dragon head, so each dragon head is unique. “The villagers were satisfied with the dragon head, and I was happy,” said Chen Zhijun.
Chen Zhijun told reporters that during the carving process, he should also integrate his imagination and recreate all aspects of the dragon boat bow, which should be similar in spirit and shape. A dragon boat with excellent craftsmanship should show exquisiteness and convexity, and every angle has a beautiful appearance. When the dragon boat is lifted up on the river, it feels like it is flying. The dragon head should also feel like it jumps out of the water and fly up, and should be vital.
In Chen Zhijun’s view, the traditional culture behind the dragon boat reflects the people’s spiritual beliefs and emotional support. What he insists on is the dragon boat that works together and never gives up. The spirit of the dragon boat is full of enthusiasm and upward and courageous progress. The material carrier of this spiritual civilization is the “Dragon Boat Head”.