Longdong Craftsman Humanistic / Zhang Wenjin In the fragrant countryside of Longdong, there are people who are revered as "craftsmen" or "folk artists", who in addition to living in the countryside, sometimes rely on craftsmanship.

Longdong craftsmen

Text/Zhang Wenjin

In the earthy countryside of Longdong, there are people who are revered as "craftsmen" or "folk artists", who in addition to living in the countryside, sometimes rely on crafts to appear in the streets and alleys of towns. The simple line, the burden that swayed in a foreign land, has been quietly blooming in my memories. Longdong craftsmen, the ingenuity and persistence passed down from generation to generation, let us re-appreciate the ancient wisdom of the ancestors and the warmth of the novices.

In Longdong, there are many trades engaged in by craftsmen, including carpenters, blacksmiths, welders, painters, mat makers, stonemasons, small furnace makers, shoemakers, cobblers, masons, felt makers, shaving heads, etc., all of which are endless. The people in the countryside all bear in mind such an ancient adage: "Even if you have a family to be entangled, it is better to learn a thin skill." Therefore, learning a good craft is the dream of the cropper and the capital that the cropper is proud of.

The villages of childhood were densely populated, and the villages were connected to each other, like tree roots, and they were scattered. Those craftsmen run through the villages all year round, like the flowing blood of the villages, shaping the sacredness and simplicity of the villages; they are as warm as torches, illuminating one village after another, bringing help to those in need. The clanging sound that is active in the blacksmith's shop is sonorous and powerful, sometimes slow, sometimes urgent, and very rhythmic. The blacksmith's wheel was hammered down, and the splashing sparks fell into the bucket, hissing, followed by a ball of hot air; the forged pig iron was red and translucent, and became a decent farm tool in the hands of the blacksmith. Over time, a county town rarely saw a blacksmith shop.

At the beginning of 1980, a large number of carpenters emerged in our local area, they trained in other places, learned a set of skills with local masters, and now they are active in the countryside to build houses for farmers, household appliances, carpenters, bricksmiths come in handy, busy all year round, many craftsmen with brick knives, mud grinding away from village to village, black and white day and night, not afraid of fatigue, carry forward the spirit of hard-working, build a beautiful house, some craftsmen also built small Western-style buildings. These craftsmen are skilled in handicraft and skill, and a large number of craftsmen have set up a construction team, gone out of their homes, walked out of Longdong, engaged in construction throughout the country, and become well-known craftsmen.

Longdong craftsmen, living in the countryside, rooted in the countryside, because of the different types of work, some with the development of society has been passed down in large quantities, some have disappeared, I have to say very regretful. In the future, let us inherit and carry forward the glorious tradition of Longdong craftsmen who bear hardships and stand hard work, reshape the spirit of Longdong craftsmen, and make more and more craftsmen contribute to society.