Since ancient times, the Lingnan region has had the custom of “committing friends with dragons”. The Dragon Boat Festival “picking dragon boats” is not only a traditional folk activity on the Babaylan 1990 cloth draw, but also an important ceremony 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. The dragon head with different shapes and unique charms gives each dragon boat team a unique meaning. At the same time, it is born from the dragon head. It is vigorously taken off and exquisitely carved, and 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 been carving dragon boat dragon head and tail for more than 20 years. Liu Zhuonan photographed by Liu Zhuonan. The “head” who appeared at the Winter Olympics comes from this “post-80s born in the 1980sKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw“
Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Liu Zhuonan Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawGuo 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 in a scattered manner, with longan eyes wide open, elegant beards and domineering. Walking further, I saw a wide variety of woodcarving tools such as planers, chisels, saws, files, etc. on the ground. Wood chips floated in the air, and the sounds 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 Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw with great Chinese characteristics surfaced with splashes. This is Zhang Weichao’s leading work. From the childhood “playing around” to the present Babaylan 1990 cloth draw Going to the world stage, 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 dragon head skills is our folk culture, our roots and soul. ”
Zhang Weichao’s leading work Photo provided by the interviewee
Start origin:
“Dragon boat is the most important cultural mark in my childhood”
Talking about his origin with the dragon boat 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, and the small dragon boat model is one of them. “Zhang Weichao’s father is an old carpenter with a complete range of woodcut tools in his home, and he is very familiar with the experience. Drawing, 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 and buy it. Gradually, Zhang Weichao became famous. He was still in school at that time and could only use his vacation to work. A model often took a summer vacation. In order to understand the shape of dragon boats in more ways, when the Dragon Boat Festival came, Zhang Weichao took a ruler and a painting to see the dragon boats in the surrounding villages and record the data. During other times outside the Dragon Boat Festival, the dragon boats were sunk in the river. Underwater, Zhang Weichao often dived to understand the shape of the dragon boat. “At that time, I seemed to have entered another small world. I liked these things and wanted to study them. My own works have been recognized and I am particularly proud. “Zhang Weichao said.
Zhang Weichao is carving the dragon head Liu Zhuonan Photo
Turn:
Resigning from his “iron rice bowl” and taking full-time “leader”
2009 was a turning point for Zhang Weichao. At that time, he graduated from the auto repair major of vocational school and had stayed at school as a practical teacher for more than a year. It was difficult to take into account both the teaching and the sculpture career, so he decided to resign and concentrate on dragon boat carving. “It would seem like the whole world was opposing it.” At that time, there were only six or seven dragon boat production factories in Guangzhou. There were only six or seven full-time manual craftsmen carving dragon boat dragon heads, and most of them were over 50 years old. Zhang Weichao, 22, made this choice of Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw, which seemed “very crazy” to many people. 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 dragon head before, and he had to make three dragon heads in a month, and he was unsure. “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. 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 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.
Caring a faucet is a very meticulous and complex task. 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, ranging from one week to ten or twenty days, but the early work often takes several months, and even Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw for several yearsBabaylan 1990 clothes draw.
“Every time I receive an order, the first thing I have to do is not carve, but go on a field trip and learn about the history and culture of the village. I will let the villagers participate, especially young people, ask them to come up with some ideas for making the leader and make them in combination with their opinions. A dragon boat leader Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw may take decades and hundreds of years.Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, and the village Babaylan 1990 cloth While the people participated in the production, they also learned about their own village history and culture, which increased 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. Zhang Weichao’s mentality has changed from a craftsman to a Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawIntangible cultural heritage inheritor. “In the past, I was a craftsman, and I thought about how to be a leader and do my job well. But now I have 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. Babaylan 1990 cloth draw, and it is even slower. 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 in intangible cultural heritage inheritance activities. During the course teaching in school, Zhang Weichao not only taught students how to carve, but more importantly, let children understand the dragon boat and the cultural significance behind it. “Dragon BoatCinema 1950 witch cloth draw skills 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 root 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 been learning art at the age of 15, has carved the dragon head for more than 40 years.
Chen Zhijun was born in Xiancun Town, Zengcheng District, eastern Guangzhou. The river network here is crisscrossing and is the most prosperous hometown of the Dongjiang River. Dragon head carving (traditional dragon boat) 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, Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawMany 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.
As the development of dragon boat activities, the dragon shipyard began to appear, from shipbuildingWhen it comes to the carving faucet, the shipyard takes care of all the links. The craftsmen who carved dragon leaders in folk began to fade out of people’s sight, and Chen Zhijun was one of them.
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 boat 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, was 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 a dragon head with outstanding craftsmanship and both spirit and form.
“Traditionality cannot be lost, and the foundation cannot be missing. The essence of the Dongjiang dragon boat lies in the dragon boat’s bow! I hope to carve a vital dragon boat’s bow, and I will use it 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 in the past Babaylan 1990 cloth draw. 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 Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw integrate into 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”.