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. The dragon head with different shapes and unique charms 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 been carving dragon boat dragon head and tail for more than 20 years. Liu Zhuonan Photo by Liu Zhuonan
The “leader” of 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 Komiks 1960 witch clothes DrawA 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, each of the exquisite dragon heads are arranged in a staggered manner, with longan eyes wide open, and the beards are flowing, and the beards are flowing, and the majestic and domineering. Going further in, I saw the woodcuts such as planers, chisels, saws, and files on the ground. There were a wide range of tools, wood chips floating 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 Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, in the countdown session set by 24 solar terms, a leader with Chinese traditional characteristics surfaced with splashes. This is Zhang Weichao’s leading work. From the childhood “Babaylan 1990 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, andThe intangible cultural heritage inheritor of this project. He Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw 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
Result:
“Dragon boat is the most important cultural mark in my childhood”
Talking about its origin with the dragon boat 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 woodcarving tools at home. He also learned some carving skills. With his interest and talent, he became the “ceiling” of carving dragon boats among his childhood playmates.
When he was 12 years old, 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. During other times outside the Dragon Boat Festival, the dragon boats were sunk under the surging water, and Zhang Weichao often dived 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 Weichao is carving the leading head Liu Zhuonan.
Turn:
Resigned from his “iron rice bowl” and carving the leading head full-time
2009 was a turning point for Zhang Weichao. He graduated from the auto repair major of vocational school at that time.I have 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 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. In the eyes of many people, Zhang Weichao, 22, made this choice, which seemed “very crazy”. But, soon, he proved himself.
One month before the Dragon Boat Festival in 2010, Zhang Weichao received a tricky order, and HaiKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawLuntou Village, Zhu District urgently needs to be 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 rushed to work at home at night 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. The cycle of completing a leading leader is as short as one week and as long as ten or twenty days, but the early work is often several 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 dragon head may take decades or hundreds of years. 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. Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw” said Zhang Weichao.
Zhang Weichao is carving the dragon head Liu Zhuonan Photo inheritance:
Looking for dragon boatBabaylan 1990 cloth drawThe cultural roots behind the dragon head
In 2020, the “Dragon Boat DragonBabaylan 1990 cloth drawThe production skills of the head and tail” were 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. “I used to be a craftsman, but I thought about how to be a good leader and do my job well. But now there is 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. It is a great honor and a huge responsibility to shoulder the inheritance of this historical and cultural heritage. ”
Now Zhang Weichao often appears on major campuses and in intangible cultural heritage inheritance activities. When teaching courses in schools, Zhang Weichao not only teaches students how to carve, but more importantly, lets children understand the dragon boat and understand the cultural significance behind it. “Dragon boat skills cannot be learned at once, but they must become interested in dragon boats. Crafting their recognition of the Chinese culture and folk culture from an early age is our roots and souls. “Zhang Weichao said.
Chen Zhijun and his leading works Photo provided by the interviewee
The “post-60s” craftsman uses the dragon 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, in the gateThe key parts must be accurate every time you apply the knife, and it will be difficult to remedy if you miss it. “Chen Zhijun, who started learning art at the age of 15, has been carving dragon heads for more than 40 years.
Chen Zhijun was born in Xiancun Town, Zengcheng District, eastern Guangzhou. The river network is crisscrossing here, and it is the most prosperous hometown of the Dongjiang River Dragon Boat. Dragon head carving (traditional dragon boat) is the traditional carving technique of Xiancun Town in Zengcheng.
As a district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Chen Zhijun recalled that since he was 15, he learned carving work with his father. Since he was 18 years old, he often learned the craftsmanship of carving dragon heads by watching his father. It was not until he was 22 that Chen Zhijun began to carve the first dragon head.
According to Cinema 1950 witch clothes draw Understand that in the early 1980s, after the revival of the folk dragon boat activities, dragon boat production had not yet entered the shipyard production. If the village collective wanted to customize dragon boats, it would hire a shipbuilder to come to build ships in the village, and also find a master to carve the dragon head. It is precisely because the Chen family’s woodworking craftsmanship has a certain popularity, so it is very Komiks 1960 witch clothes drawMost 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 Babaylan 1990 cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth draw to carving the dragon head, the shipyard took all the links. The craftsmen of folk carving the dragon head gradually faded out of people’s sight, and Chen Zhijun was one of them. Cinema 1950 witch 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 boat in accordance with the traditional old dragon head. They inquired many times 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 he came to ask Chen Zhijun to “come out” again.
Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawWhen 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 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 village 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 each place into the creation of the dragon head. Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw Therefore, 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 legend behind the dragon boat is to reflect 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 of this spiritual civilization is the “Dragon Boat Head”.