Jiang Aizhen, inheritor of the Qingxian Intangible Cultural Heritage Gourd Painting Project: Skillfully branding out the "ice pier" and "snow rongrong"

In order to express the expectations and blessings for the Winter Olympics, Jiang Aizhen, the fourth-generation inheritor of the Qingxian Intangible Cultural Heritage Gourd Painting Project, recently created the "Winter Olympics" series of gourd paintings and wooden board paintings, and the mascots of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, "Ice Pier" and "Snow Rongrong", are in a cute and wonderful state.

"The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be held in front of our house, and I have been thinking about doing something to cheer for the Olympic athletes." Jiang Aizhen said with a smile that the mascots of this Winter Olympics, "Ice Pier" and "Snow Rongrong", are particularly cute and loved by everyone, and he decided to use his best branding and painting technology to present it to the masses.

Jiang Aizhen carefully selected two round gourds that were peeled, polished and dried for more than two years, and made gourd paintings of "ice piers" and "snow rongrong". Jiang Aizhen first used a pencil to draft on the gourd, then used the gourd branding machine to draw lines and polish, and finally used a brush to dip the Chinese painting pigment to color. When the paint is dry, the work is finished.

The pen tip of the gourd branding machine is flat, and it is necessary to engrave a fine pattern on the curved surface of the gourd, which requires the craftsmanship of the brander. "When painting, you must master the temperature, speed and strength." Jiang Aizhen said that when painting, the athlete's posture of dreaming of ice and snow constantly appeared in his mind. After about 10 days of creation, Jiang Aizhen completed two pieces of gourd branding painting and two wooden board branding works.

The 35-year-old Jiang Aizhen comes from a family of branding paintings, and has studied branding painting with his grandfather Jiang Junrong and father Jiang Yong since childhood. In recent years, he has often participated in the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Into the Campus" public welfare activities, and also broadcast live on the online platform, volunteering to teach the art of branding.

(Reporter Dai Miaomiao Correspondent Bian Guicheng Huang Rongrong)