Zhang Xiaoquan scissors was founded in the Ming Dynasty, according to historical records, in the eighth year of the Ming Dynasty (1580 AD), Zhang Sijia, a native of Yixian County, Huizhou, opened a scissor shop, the number "Zhang Dalong", in Dajing Lane, the northern foothills of Wushan Mountain, Hangzhou, insisting on "conscience with good materials, carefully making scissors" to operate scissor shops, the scissors made are known for their sharpness and ingenuity. In the first year of Ming Chongzhen (1628 AD), Zhang Sijia's son Zhang Xiaoquan changed "Zhang Dalong" to "Zhang Xiaoquan". Zhang Xiaoquan scissors were included in the imperial court tribute during the Qianlong period, and the Qianlong Emperor personally inscribed "Zhang Xiaoquan" as a name, according to the Guangxu engraving "Hangzhou Fuzhi" recorded: "Hangzhou Dajing Lane into a city, foreign buyers with the name of Hangzhou scissors."
Shi Jinshui, the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Zhang Xiaoquan scissors forging technology project, was at the scene
Zhang Xiaoquan scissors with exquisite materials, well-made, its pioneering steel forging technology, in the edge of the steel, so that it is sharp and durable, the shear body is still made of all iron, easy to bend the shape, so that the hardness of the steel and the relative softness of the iron organic combination, the shear blade is sharp, the shear body is soft. Steel-inlaid forging scissors must go through 72 processes such as steel testing, iron testing, steel inlay, head out, filing inside, file outer mouth, quenching, coarse grinding, fine grinding, inspection, and chiseling. The key process is extremely exquisite, the steel inlay is in the state of the billet cooling, the edge of the steel embedded in the iron, must strictly control the distance between the top of the steel and the slot, otherwise there will be a pure steel head or a shrinking steel head, affecting the use of scissors function; out of the head is the steel after the blank is heated by the red furnace, after the oven is knocked on the iron pier, the steel used in the edge and the iron as a shear body are bonded, and then quickly hammered, so that the steel and iron are completely bonded, to ensure that the steel is in the edge part, and the quality of a scissors is fixed here Straight seam is to hammer out the twist angle (commonly known as the seam) inside the scissors to ensure that when the two scissors are combined together, the scissors are only two points of contact, and the other parts are separated, which is one of the important processes of the scissors easy and soft, all by virtue of the years of experience and understanding of the pliers master.
Students learned scissors making from Shi Jinshui, a national inheritor
Steel-plated forging scissors are extremely demanding, and the five elements of flatness, finish, ease, sharpness and uniformity must reach an ideal state. Varieties mainly include Xinghua, Shanlang, Five Tigers, Long Head, Round Head, Flat Cloth and other characteristics, with reasonable structure, uniform steel inlay, fine grinding, sharp edge, firm pins, opening and closing and shun, etc., exquisite style, durable, loved by the masses, famous.
Zhang Xiaoquan's scissor forging technique was included in the list of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
(Image courtesy of Hangzhou Municipal Cultural Center/Hangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Conservation Center)
Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojun