On January 2, In Dongyang, Zhejiang, He Hongbing began the work of the new year. As usual, he went to his studio, tied up his apron, sat on the bench, and calculated what shape to weave the slices of bamboo that had been cut.
He Hongbing is a master of traditional Chinese crafts, a master of arts and crafts in Zhejiang Province, and a inheritor of provincial intangible cultural heritage. Dealing with bamboo and woodcuts is his daily work and his hobby.
In July 2019, He Hongbing entered the Douyin e-commerce platform. In more than 200 videos he participated in, He Hongbing showed the production techniques of bamboo weaving technology and a considerable number of high-end works, and is committed to promoting bamboo weaving technology with a long history and cultural heritage to more people.
Referring to the craft, He Hongbing said that he and his father "taught it unreservedly to those who are willing to learn." His greatest wish now is that the bamboo weaving museum he has prepared will be completed and opened to the outside world to show the beauty of bamboo weaving.
Fight in the "father and son soldiers" and continue to inherit the skills of bamboo weaving
In 1970, He Hongbing was born in Dongyang, the "hometown of wood carving". At that time, his father, He Fuli, had been working in the Dongyang Bamboo Weaving Factory for more than ten years and was a well-known bamboo craftsman. With his father around him, He Hongbing has a special love for bamboo weaving since he was a child. When my father made bamboo weaving, he often beckoned He Hongbing to come and watch, "Over time, I will also learn some basic weaving skills." ”
After graduating from high school, He Hongbing came to the China Academy of Fine Arts to study design. After finishing his studies, He Hongbing returned to his hometown of Dongyang in 1988 and entered Dongyang Arts and Crafts Company. Introduced by his father, he studied under the famous arts and crafts master Yao Zhenghua.
He Hongbing said that at that time, he studied wood carving with Yao Zhenghua during the day and bamboo weaving next to his father at night, "This life lasted for five or six years." Both skills are learned from the simplest process, repeating the basic cutting of bamboo, drawing drawings, etc. every day. Because Yao Zhenghua is very good at design, He Hongbing also learned a lot of knowledge and skills in design, which laid a good foundation for him to combine bamboo weaving and wood carving later.
According to him, the bamboo weaving process is very cumbersome, "Our current studio is generally male employees cutting bamboo, female employees are responsible for fine weaving. "But in the face of more complex bamboo crafts, He Hongbing often does it himself throughout the production process." Select pillars, cut bamboo, use tools to grind bamboo into very thin bamboo strips, and then fix and weave, a craft often takes half a month to do, and a long time takes half a year. Good works depend on time. ”
In the selection of bamboo, there are also many exquisite. "To do different weaving, we use different bamboo. The grass bamboo stems are thick in the wall and relatively strong, which is suitable for making agricultural tools. Ci bamboo is suitable for flat weaving, and the most widely used water bamboo flexibility and delicacy are relatively good, suitable for crafts. ”
Several times into the Forbidden City to restore cultural relics, the bamboo weaving and wood carving creative combination
In 2004, the Palace Museum in Beijing recruited artists to repair the Tired Qinzhai and He Fuli signed up to participate. He Hongbing helped his father formulate a repair plan and successfully won the repair project. "The media said at the time that it was 'The Emperor List.'" He Hongbing laughed.
Since 2005, He Hongbing has followed his father to the Forbidden City for five or six consecutive years to repair cultural relics. Staying in Beijing is 3 to 5 months.
"There are a lot of rules in the Forbidden City, very strict. We are silent when we work, because the environment is very solemn and the responsibility is great. ”
He Hongbing recalled that when he first entered the Forbidden City, "when he saw some doors, hanging leaks, and decorations that needed to be repaired, I thought to myself: How can bamboo weaving and wood carving be so well combined?" ”
It was also during this period that He Hongbing creatively integrated bamboo weaving and wood carving techniques. "There have been very few people who have systematically and consciously combined the two before, and I am an innovation." Mentioning this matter, He Hongbing's tone was a little proud.
He Hongbing believes that the status of bamboo weaving in traditional culture is quite important, but even if it is important, the status needs to be fought for by oneself.
"In everyone's impression, bamboo weaving may be relatively rough, like the agricultural tools we see more. But those who have been to our place are amazed that bamboo weaving can be so exquisite! ”
In 1983, the Chinese Arts and Crafts Hundred Flowers Award, He Fuli brought his bamboo weaving work "Nine Dragon Wall" to the competition. "Many people asked at that time, how can bamboo be a national treasure? I think the material of bamboo is very low and humble. However, He Fuli argued on the basis of reason, and the judges were very sure of the production level of "Nine Dragon Wall", and finally won the Gold Cup Award that year.
Entering the Douyin e-commerce, not only harvested sales and fans, but also received apprentices
In 2019, He Hongbing opened Douyin @ He Hongbing Master Official - Dashi Culture, and brought goods through Douyin e-commerce, which has now gained 214,000 fans and received more than 5 million likes. In 2021, He Hongbing conducted dozens of live broadcasts. In the live broadcast room, He Hongbing introduced the bamboo weaving skills to everyone and showed his proud works, which received a lot of praise and gradually expanded his influence, and the online and offline sales of his works also increased significantly.
Last summer, two young people in Guizhou contacted He Hongbing through the live broadcast of Douyin e-commerce, hoping that he could go to Guizhou to teach bamboo weaving skills. "But there are too many of them, and I have a lot of work on my studio side that I can't put down, so I asked them to send two representatives over." According to him, these young people in Guizhou made bamboo baskets in the local area, and when they saw He Hongbing's video on the Douyin e-commerce platform, they admired the teacher. Now, the two youth representatives from Guizhou have been studying for more than half a year.
The shop displays all kinds of bamboo weaving and wood carving handicrafts of He Hongbing. As small as a natural log fitness ball that can be held with one hand, as large as a bamboo piglet home ornament, each craft is very fine, from the material to the color, all of which make He Hongbing expend a lot of effort. Many wood carving and bamboo weaving enthusiasts who learned about He Hongbing through Douyin e-commerce came to his offline stores, and thus became like-minded partners with him.
Talking about why he chose to enter the Douyin e-commerce, He Hongbing repeatedly stressed that "although our skills are traditional, Douyin e-commerce is a platform with the same frequency as the times, we want more people to understand bamboo weaving, understand wood carving, Douyin e-commerce platform is very important." ”
At present, in addition to going out to participate in some activities, He Hongbing stays in his studio to ponder his works. At present, his most concerned thing is to be able to collect more exquisite bamboo weaving works, conceive some Dongyang bamboo weaving works with his own style, and enrich his upcoming bamboo museum. "Bamboo is the image of a gentleman in China, and I want to carry forward the bamboo culture more."
#竹编大叔连续五年进故宫修文物 #