The picture shows the "General Tiger". Courtesy of Li Aiping herself
(New Year to go to the grassroots) Non-hereditary people shouzheng innovation Taihang Mountain "general tiger" went abroad
Zhongxin Network Jinzhong February 9 Title: Non-hereditary people shouzheng innovation Taihang Mountain "general tiger" went abroad
Author Gao Yuqing
Cloth tigers, tiger hats, tiger shoes... The Lunar New Year has not yet ended, and Li Aiping is busy again. When she met Li Aiping, she was guiding the craftsmen in the studio to make a batch of "Orders for the Year of the Tiger". During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger, the "Cloth Tiger" series of products is more popular than in previous years.
"Cloth tiger" is a traditional handicraft widely spread in Chinese folklore, which has a history of thousands of years. Li Aiping is the representative inheritor of the provincial intangible cultural heritage of Shanxi Province" "Cloth Art Tiger Craft". A needle and a thread, passed down for decades, Li Aiping let the "general tiger" of the left power in Shanxi Jinzhong go from the taihang mountains to the world.
Li Aiping (fifth from left) teaches peasant women to make fabric crafts. Courtesy of Li Aiping herself
The origin of the "General Tiger" is related to a general. The headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee were stationed in the local village of Matian, and the villagers gave the cloth tigers they personally embroidered to General Zuo Quan, deputy chief of the general staff of the Eighth Route Army, symbolizing bravery and peace. After the martyrdom of General Zuo Quan, the local people referred to the "Cloth Tiger" as the "General Tiger".
Listening to the legend of the "General Tiger", growing up playing with cloth tigers, and being influenced by her grandmother and mother, Li Aiping has been interested in Zuoquan folk art since childhood. "I remember when I was a child, my mother made cloth tigers with several elderly people, and it was a day to do it, and I was very energetic. I was right next to me, watching and helping. ”
Li Aiping teaches elementary school students to make general tigers. Courtesy of Li Aiping herself
By chance, Li Aiping saw a book called "Watching folk" at a Xinhua bookstore in Taiyuan, which was related to the protection of China's folk cultural heritage. "After reading it, my mind seems to be enlightened at once." Li Aiping said, "If the old people don't do it, and the young people don't do it again, it will be a pity that the craft is lost." ”
Since 2000, Li Aiping has begun to excavate and sort out the folk handicrafts of Zuo Quan represented by the "General Tiger". During this period, she visited many experienced elderly people in the county many times and "learned from them" to revitalize the fabric tiger craft from its endangered state.
Li Aiping introduced that the "General Tiger" is all embroidered with one stitch and one thread, with smooth lines, clear layers and fine embroidery. Its shape is atmospheric, its posture is beautiful, its eyes are shining, its tail is high and cocked, and its sharp teeth are sharp and sharp teeth, which appear lifelike and majestic.
Li Aiping (left) introduces General Tiger. Courtesy of Li Aiping herself
Tiger hats, lion's head hats, lotus hats, embroidered shoes, tiger shoes, small foot shoes, sewing bags, purses, hydrangeas... The reporter saw in his studio that a variety of products were dazzling. Li Aiping told reporters that at first, there was only one breed, "General Tiger", divided into 7 sizes, after years of excavation and innovation, it has now developed to more than 50 species, and the product process has also been improved.
Traditional cloth tigers, mostly yellow. In Li Aiping's view, Traditional Chinese culture is rich and colorful, so why not integrate the cloth tiger with other arts? As a result, a series of distinctive "general tigers" such as qinghua tiger and Fuhu were born. "Printed cloth, blue and white porcelain, Chinese red, no time is out of date."
Li Aiping (left) shows the works of general Tiger. Courtesy of Li Aiping herself
With the continuous improvement of popularity, "General Tiger" is loved by more people, and its products are exported to Hong Kong, Taiwan and other regions, and are also exhibited in Turkey, the United States and other countries.
In order to make this folk skill better inherited, while bringing the "General Tiger" into the campus, Li Aiping also founded the Institute of Learning, combining family inheritance and social inheritance, leading more young generations to participate in the excavation, inheritance and protection of the fabric tiger craft.
Li Aiping said that the inheritance of skills is a long way to go, although she is nearly seventy years old, but as an intangible cultural heritage, she cannot retire, and she can work as long as she can. A native cloth tiger, through the needle and thread of folk craftsmen, is moving from the Taihang Mountains to the world farther away. (End)
Source: China News Network