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 regarded as the “soul” of the dragon boat. It is a detachable independent component. It has a different shape and unique charm. It gives each dragon boat a unique meaning. At the same time, because the dragon head is vigorous and beautifully carved, it has also 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 Photo 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 Siqi
In Xiasha Village, Huangpu District, Guangzhou, there is a special ancient ancestral hall. When you walk in, you can see that the blue brick wall is full of oars for dragon boats. On the other side, exquisite dragon heads are arranged scattered, with longan eyes wide open, with flowing beards and majestic 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 sound of machines and knocking sounds came one after another. This is Zhang Weichao’s dragon boat carving studio.
Zhang Weichao is a “post-80s”. 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 Chinese traditional characteristics surfaced with splashes. This is Zhang Weichao’s Babaylan 1990 cloth draw‘s leading work. From his childhood “playing around” to now moving to the world stage, Zhang Weichao has grown into a well-known dragon boat in Guangdong.Accompanying. 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
Result:
“Dragon boat is the most important cultural mark in my childhood”
Talking about its origin with the dragon boat and dragon head, Zhang Weichao said that this was the most important cultural mark in his childhood. “Since I was a child, I loved watching dragon boat racing in the village. Children would make some small toys by themselves, and the model of the dragon boat is one of them.” Zhang Weichao’s father is an old carpenter with a complete range of wood carving tools at home. Under the influence of his eyes, he also learned some carving skills. With his interest and talent, he became the “ceiling” of 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, Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw seemed to have entered another small world. If you like these things, you want to study them. Your works have been recognized and you are very proud.” Zhang Weichao said.
Zhang Weichao is carving the leading leader Liu Zhuonan.
Turn:
Resigned from the “iron rice bowl” and carving the “leader” full-time
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 school as a practical teacher for more than a year. It was difficult to take into account both teaching and carving, so he decided to resign and concentrate on dragon boat carving. “It would have seemed that the whole world was opposing it.” At that time, the dragon boat production plants in Guangzhou only <aThere are six or seven witch cloth draw in Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, and there are only a handful of craftsmen who are hand-carved dragon boats. Most of them are over 50 years old. Zhang Weichao, 22, made this choice, which is very crazy in many people’s eyes. But, soon, he proved himself.
One month before the Dragon Boat Festival in 2010, Zhang Weichao received a difficult order, and Luntou Village, Haizhu District urgently needed to become three new leaders. He had never carved a leader before, and he had to make three leaders in a month. He was unsure of it. “The dragon head is the ‘soul’ of the dragon boat and an important symbol of a village. They trust me and I will do it no matter what.” For this reason, Zhang Weichao worked day and night at home, and finally handed over three exquisite dragon heads on time. When the news spread suddenly, many people rushed to watch after hearing the news, “They were all surprised that I, who made the dragon boat model, actually made three dragon leaders.” This also ushered in a turning point in his career – from dragon boat model carving to dragon head carving, he also became a well-known industry star, with orders coming one after another.
The carved faucet is a very meticulous and complex task in the Babaylan 1990 cloth draw. Zhang Weichao introduced that handmade faucets require more than ten tedious processes such as wood selection, cutting materials, outlining, carving, polishing, and lacquer mounting. Complete a leading cycle, at a short time, at a short time, at a long time, at a ten or twenty days, but the previous period of time is often Babaylan 1990 cloth draw oftenKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw takes months, or even years.
“Every time I receive an order, the first thing I have to do is not carve, but go on a field trip and understand the history and culture of the village. I will let the villagers participate, especially young people, ask them to put forward some ideas for the production of the leader and make them in combination with their opinions. A dragon boat leader may take several decades and hundreds of years to use. While the 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 Weichao is carving the dragon head Liu Zhuonan. Inheritance:
Find the cultural roots behind the dragon boat head
In 2020, the “Dragon Boat Dragon Head and Dragon Tail Production Technique” was successfully applied for World Heritage, and Zhang Weichao became the inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage project. From a craftsman to a inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, Zhang Weichao’s mentality has changed a little. “I used to be a craftsman, and I thought about how to be a leader and do my job well. But now Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw has more responsibility and responsibility. Intangible cultural heritage is a very precious and relatively rare thing. It may be a slowly disappearing culture. When we protect it, we want to disappear slowly and slower. I can shoulder the inheritance of this historical and cultural heritage. It is very honored to be a huge responsibility.”Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw is very honored and has a huge responsibility.”Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw
Now Zhang Weichao often appears on major campuses and in 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.Understand 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 leading works Photo provided by the interviewee
The “post-60s” craftsman uses the dragon boat bow to carry the spiritual beliefs of the people
Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Zhou Cong
Select materials, cut materials, rough carving, fine carving, polishing, lacquer… “From the dragon’s mouth, dragon whiskers to the dragon scales, every time they are cut, it must be accurate every time they are cut, and it is difficult to remedy if they fail.” Chen Zhijun, who has started learning art at the age of 15, has Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawThe faucet has been carved for more than 40 years.
Chen Zhijun was born in Xiancun Town, Zengcheng District, eastern Guangzhou. The river network here is crisscrossing, making it the most prosperous hometown of the Dongjiang River Dragon Boats. Dragon head carving (traditional dragon boat) Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw is a traditional carving technique in Xiancun Town, Zengcheng.
As a district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Chen Zhijun recalled that since he was 15 years old, he learned carpentry with his father. Since he was 18 years old, he often learned the craftsmanship of carving his father by watching it by watching it. It was not until the age of 22 that Chen Zhijun began to carve the first dragon head.
It is understood that in the early 1980s, after the revival of folk dragon boat activities, dragon boat production had not yet entered shipyard production. If the village collective wants to order dragon boats, it must hire a shipbuilder to come to build ships in the village, and also 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 such a background.
With the development of dragon boat activities, the dragon shipyard began to appear. From shipbuilding to carving the faucet, the shipyard took all the links. The craftsmen who carved the leading figures of folk carving began to fade awayBabaylan 1990 clothes draw, and Chen Zhijun was one of them.
Until recent years, the local youth dragon boat in XiancunThe team has customized a new dragon boat. The dragon boat team hopes to carve the new dragon head in accordance with 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, is the inheritor of the Chen family’s 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 leader with outstanding craftsmanship and both spirit and form.
“Traditionality cannot be withoutCinema 1950 witch cloth draw, and its foundation cannot be missing. The essence of the Dongjiang dragon boat lies in the dragon boat! I want to carve a vital dragon boat, and I treat it as a work of art.” Regarding carving dragon heads, Chen Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw Zhijun has his own unique view.
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. “I am happy that the villagers are satisfied with the leader,” 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 adheres to is the dragon boat spirit that works together and never gives up, and the folk vitality of uplifting and uplifting. The material carrier of this spiritual civilization is the “Dragon Boat Head”.