On January 12, at the Shunxi Sunshasa Factory in Lan nu town, Nansha District, Guangzhou, Zhou Xiaogang, a 61-year-old non-hereditary heir of Xiangyun Yarn, was paying attention to the weather conditions while calling to confirm "whether he can dry the sun today."
Sun-drying is the dyeing process of dipping the cloth into different concentrations of scopoles made of potato juice, gently patting and stroking, so that the cloth can eat through the water, and then drying on the grass, and then recycling the dyeing process, which is an indispensable process for the production of Xiangyun yarn. The process of sunbathing in Xiangyun Yarn is a process of contact and reaction with sunlight, water and soil, and the requirements for the weather are quite high, and Zhou Xiaogang pays special attention to the weather, which is why.
It is reported that a total of 6 people in Nansha have passed the review of the 2021 Guangdong Provincial Rural Craftsmen Traditional Craft Title Review Committee, including 1 senior engineer, 3 engineers, and 2 assistant engineers. Zhou Xiaogang became the first senior engineer in Nansha specializing in traditional handicrafts with his first -hand "sunning technique".
Inheritance: 20 years of adhering to the hope of carrying forward the culture of Xiangyun yarn
Zhou Xiaogang, who first entered the industry by chance, has now been engaged in the work of Xiangyun yarn sunbathing for 20 years, from an ignorant apprentice to an expert who now holds patents such as double-sided vinyl and sand silk. Zhou Xiaogang said frankly, "This road is not easy to walk."
Looking back on his first days, his most memorable one was the rainy day he encountered while basking in the sun. "Every year, the sunbathing will encounter sudden rain, generally around the Dragon Boat Festival, the temperature and humidity of this season are very suitable for drying, but the weather is cloudy and uncertain, when observing that the day is going to rain, we have to sprint at a speed of 100 meters to 'grab' the sun on the lawn." He recalled, "At the beginning, I did not control the moisture content of the surabace well, but after doing it for half a year, under the reminder of the master, I learned to improve it little by little. ”
Talking about the original intention of adhering to it, Zhou Xiaogang told reporters that after slow contact, he had more understanding of Xiangyun yarn, "The production process of Xiangyun yarn shows a lot of traditional craftsmanship, these exquisite processes make me impressed, which also makes me slowly strengthen my determination to inherit traditional crafts and carry forward The culture of Xiangyun yarn." ”
Innovation: Double-sided "over-the-mud" upgrade process
In view of the production process of traditional Xiangyun yarn with only one side 'over the mud' (that is, dyeing with river mud), in the long-term practice, Zhou Xiaogang combined the concept of modern dyeing technology, using the technique of layering, fractionation and segmentation, innovated the "production process of double-sided vinyl yarn", improved the fastness of dyeing, successfully produced "double-sided vinyl yarn", and passed patent certification.
"We now have color fastness in our processes that meet EU standards, which is rare in plant dyeing." Zhou Xiaogang said that in order to better meet the market demand, the factory has also innovatively applied the dyeing and finishing process to fabrics such as cotton and linen, and continuously improved the level of technology to adapt to a variety of fabric characteristics.
Zhou Xiaogang also believes that as an "intangible cultural heritage", the promotion of Xiangyun yarn also needs innovation. He believes that Xiangyun yarn is very in line with the development concept of the era of "environmental protection", the materials used in the Xiangyun yarn drying process are mainly potato and river mud, which are natural raw materials, the process is environmentally friendly and low-carbon, adapting to the needs of sustainable development in today's society, "As long as we have more innovation, we can attract more people, especially the attention of young people, so as to better inherit the traditional craft." ”
Future: Title evaluation can attract talents to the industry
"Carrying out the evaluation of the title of rural craftsmen and professionals is a timely rain, which illuminates the path of career development for young people engaged in xiangyun yarn and sunbathing, so that young people who join the industry can see their own upward space." In Zhou Xiaogang's view, traditional skills such as Xiangyun yarn sunspot are indispensable for more young people to inherit and develop if they want to be inherited and developed. And a Xiangyun yarn sunshine craftsman, often need 3 to 4 years to "master", if the talent of the effort is not recognized, then it is not conducive to the development of the industry.
It is understood that in accordance with the deployment of provincial and municipal professional titles, Nansha District has actively carried out the evaluation of rural craftsmen's professional talents' titles, and held two sessions of rural craftsmen's professionals' title evaluation seminars to provide title evaluation services for the technical skills of the rural grassroots in Nansha District.
(Courtesy photo: Liu Wei, Xie Ziliang, Chen Nanxi)
Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojun