Shandong Business Daily And Speed Leopard News Network reporter Zheng Zhinan and Gao Zhitong
Zhou Shengfu of Linyi, Shandong Province, 57 years old this year, has been engaged in willow weaving for more than 40 years, is a non-hereditary inheritor of Linyi willow weaving craft, and has been in contact with Zhou Shengfu of willow weaving since childhood, and has a unique view on the inheritance and innovation of willow weaving.
In order to better publicize the culture of willow weaving, Zhou Shengfu has stopped sticking to the production of traditional daily necessities since 2012 and began to try to make some uniquely shaped willow handicrafts. In 2019, he took his own works to meet with the majority of netizens on the Kuaishou short video platform, and many netizens were attracted by the unique shape and craftsmanship of his works.
The ancient land of willow weaving
The name of Linshu originates from the Shu River, so the water and grass here are lush, the willows are yiyi, there is a long story, and there are also ancient skills. Linshu willow weaving is a local traditional handicraft in Linshu County, which has a history of 1400 years of inheritance in Linshu County, and is a national geographical indication agricultural product of China.
During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, villagers in Qingyun, Baixu and other places woven willows into tools such as baskets (equivalent to handbags) for relatives who went out to string relatives during the New Year's Festival, fences (equivalent to colanders) for catering cooking utensils, and boxes and baskets for storing grain for people's production and life.
In 2009, the China Willow Weaving Culture and Art Museum was officially opened in Linshu County, and there are many fine products in the museum. In addition to the common willow weaving production of flower baskets, fruit baskets and other daily necessities, the museum is more like Longfeng Chengxiang, Sanyang Kaitai, Luhan Lingzhi, Guotai Min'an and other large-scale willow weaving artworks, they are unique in shape, grand scale, all of which are unique at home and abroad willow weaving artworks, innovative willow weaving skills, casually take out a piece of people stunned, breathtaking.
Most of these exquisite willow weaving works come from a villager named Zhou Shengfu, as a non-hereditary heir of Linshu willow weaving, when other villagers are making traditional willow weaving daily necessities, he boldly innovated and created many amazing works, and was one of the first leaders to engage in creative willow weaving.
Creative willow weaving comes from life
Zhou Shengfu, 57 years old this year, has been exposed to willow weaving since he was a child. Every household in the village makes willow weaving, and Zhou Shengfu's parents are no exception. After the college entrance examination failed, Zhou Shengfu returned home, "Learn to make willow weaving!" Willow weaving does not have to contribute, and it is also a craft for making a living. Father looked at him and said a word. Just like that, Zhou Shengfu entered the industry.
At the beginning, Zhou Shengfu only made some conventional products and samples such as fruit baskets.
"There are too many people making traditional willow weaving, and now the daily necessities of traditional willow weaving are gradually replaced by new materials." Zhou Shengfu said, "My children feel that the willow basket is rustic, which makes me quite frustrated" So in 2012, Zhou Shengfu began to grope, developing in the direction of alien crafts, wanting to create some more popular willow crafts.
Zhou Shengfu said that the willow weaving process is more complicated, and even the most ordinary willow basket requires many processes.
Zhou Shengfu said that the selection of materials is very exquisite, the wicker should have no forks, no spots, no obvious variegation, good finish, wet strips should be cyan, dry strips should be white, and different works should choose different lengths of wicker.
After the wicker is selected, it should be soaked in water for more than an hour. The large pieces of wicker must also be pressed against the stone, only in this way can it be better infiltrated. Nowadays, Zhou Shengfu has cultivated a pair of fire eyes and golden eyes, and whether the wicker is available can be seen almost at a glance.
Zhou Shengfu said that he now makes a willow weaving work, which simply takes several hours, complex works take a few days to several months, and some large works even take more than half a year.
A special willow garment
In the years of the county willow weaving art and culture center, Zhou Shengfu created works such as ground motion instruments and willow weaving clothes. In 2017, Zhou Shengfu made a willow weaving "ground motion instrument" that symbolized the Taiping of Shenzhou, and this work became the focus of major media as soon as it came out. "It took more than a year for the work to go from conception to design to final completion." Zhou Shengfu said, "I have not studied art myself, I have not studied design, many things are groping on my own, the shape of the ground motion instrument I understand according to their respective data and literature records, but how to use willow weaving to shape is my own thinking." ”
In 2018, Linshu singer Zhang Xinwen wore a set of willow woven dresses to sing the Avenue of Stars, and Zhou Shengfu also appeared on the stage of the Avenue of Stars to promote Linshu Willow Weaving. "That year, I was tasked with creating a willow-woven dress for The singer Zhang Xinwen in Linshu, groping and dismantling it, compiling a set of clothes and accessories for Zhang Xinwen, and giving Zhu Xun and Xiaoni a short skirt and vest, and I also went on the CCTV stage once." Zhou Shengfu pointed to a group photo on the wall with Zhu Xun, Nigmati and Zhang Xinwen on the "Avenue of Stars" column and said proudly.
The reporter walked into Zhou Shengfu's house, and the wall of the living room was lined with large roosters, auspicious dragons, large gourds, small gourds, vases, fish and other willow weavings. Zhou Shengfu was sitting on a small bench weaving gourds, "If you came over yesterday, there were more in the house, many small gourds with Chinese knots had just been bought by a foreign merchant, and two big roosters had just been pulled away." Zhou Shengfu introduced to reporters.
Zhou Shengfu said that his large-scale works cannot be opened at home, some of them are sold to some customers who like willow weaving, and some of them are collected by the China Willow Weaving Culture and Art Museum.
"When I first started making this kind of willow handicraft, my family didn't support it, and this thing only has ornamental value and no practical value, and it can't make money." Zhou Shengfu was very emotional, during the initial period of time, there were many unsought-after willow handicrafts at home, "Fortunately, after some of the works made in the previous few years were publicized by the media, the popularity was gained, and gradually some people were willing to buy my works." ”
"Last year I also made a 'Fortune Cow,' which was the biggest work I've ever done." Zhou Shengfu told reporters that last year for Qinghe Town, Yutai County, Shandong Province, a "Fortune Cow" work, a total length of 6.62 meters, a width of 2.25 meters, a height of 2.83 meters, only the horn is 1.38 meters long, he made this work shared 68760 wicker, the production lasted 108 days, is China's largest willow woven cattle.
As long as I am willing to learn, I am willing to teach
In 2020, Linshu Willow was selected as the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects. As the inheritor of the willow weaving craft, Zhou Shengfu often went to the campus, community and other places over the years to volunteer to explain the willow weaving culture to the children and the public, and teach the children the skills of willow weaving. Zhou Shengfu also often went to some disabled organizations to help, teaching disabled friends to master the art of willow weaving.
Zhou Shengfu told reporters that since 2019, he has been exposed to kuaishou short videos, and let his little daughter help shoot and record some of the daily life of his own production of willow weaving, which attracted many fans in Kuaishou, "By recording my process of making willow weaving, more people understand the process of willow weaving, there are many netizens who have expressed support for me, and I am quite happy." Zhou Shengfu said, "Because Kuaishou has also met many new friends, many people have seen my videos on Kuaishou and come to me specifically to customize some works." "Open Zhou Shengfu's Kuaishou account, you can see the various works he made, such as tigers, roosters, cranes and other animals, some time ago Zhou Shengfu also made a willow motorcycle, and the comment area is also full of praise for Zhou Shengfu's skills.
Zhou Shengfu told reporters that he has taught many students over the years, and there are already apprentices who can pass on this craft, "I am very happy to be able to pass on the willow weaving, as long as someone is willing to learn, I am willing to teach." ”
Editor of Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network Xu Xiaoyang