Shandong Business Daily And Speed Leopard News Network reporter Zheng Zhinan Xu Chang
"I just want an ice pier, but the ice pier is hard to find..." Recently, a magical brainwashing song swept the back of the Internet, directly reflecting how red the ice pier, the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics, really is. Under the situation that a pier is difficult to find, various versions of the ice pier have also been spawned. Recently, in Gaomi, Shandong, a township school, under the leadership of Tan Xiaocun, the inheritor of the local intangible gourd carving, students of different grades sat together and created a series of gourd versions of ice piers. Principal Ma Lewei told the Shandong Business Daily Speed Leopard News Network reporter that from 2021, the school will combine labor education with art education by leading students to plant gourds and make gourd carvings. "It's completely public welfare, and Teacher Tan doesn't receive any money."
Gourd version of the ice pier
On the morning of February 12, a fun handicraft activity was held at the Kangzhuang School in Liquan Street, Gaomi City. More than 20 students of different grades sat around a large table, under the guidance of Tan Xiaocun, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage gourd carving in Gaomi City, each of them was making a gourd painting, showing that the pattern was nothing else, it was the mascot ice pier of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics that had recently become popular all over the Internet.
The large gourd in the center of the table is a gourd carved version of the ice pier that Tan Xiaocun has recently created. Tan Xiaocun told the Shandong Shangbao Speed Leopard News Network reporter: "The gourd was planted in the school last year, the variety is called 'lotus head', which resembles an ice pier, so this work was created as a gift for the Winter Olympics." ”
Tan Xiaocun's gourd version of the ice pier is 50 cm high and 40 cm wide, and the texture of the body is shaped on the surface of the gourd by using carving tools, and then the limbs, eyes, colored halos and ice crystal shells are painted with paint, which vividly shows the humility of the ice pier as a whole. In the other blank spaces of the gourd, various patterns representing ice and snow sports are also depicted. "Some netizens wanted to buy it, but I didn't sell it."
First draw a rough image of the ice pier on the surface of the gourd with a pencil, then apply paint ... In the past two hours, each student present has completed his own gourd painting ice pier work. Some students also used colored mud to pinch out the ice piers. In this way, dozens of ice piers with different shapes appear together, and although the painting style is clumsy, it all makes people clearly feel the innocent and childlike fun of children.
Tan Xiaocun told reporters that nearby stationery stores, "color mud black and white are not good to buy." Now it's really hard to find mud, a mound is hard to find. At the end of the activity of making gourd ice piers, the students cheered for the Winter Olympics in front of the camera. It is understood that in the two gourd painting ice piers made by each person, one was left in the school for display, and the other small pendant was taken home as a souvenir.
The sense of the times of the old craftsmanship
Tan Xiaocun, 51 years old, came to Binzhou in his hometown and settled in Gaomi in 2001. In 1996, the 25-year-old Tan Xiaocun went to Zibo to learn the art of engraving porcelain, that is, the art of carving on a porcelain plate, and strived to "embody the golden stone qi and the brush and ink charm of Chinese painting" in his works. This experience of learning to engrave porcelain laid the foundation for his later gourd carving art.
In 2008, Tan Xiaocun began to plant several gourds in his yard, starting the creation of gourd carvings and gourd paintings. In mainland folk culture, gourds have an auspicious meaning, in ancient times, people began to paint on gourds very early, gourd painting has also become a popular folk craft.
Tan Xiaocun said that in the process of painting the surface of the gourd, the different shapes of different gourds can often affect the creator's choice of expression image. Among them, characters, poems, auspicious patterns, etc., are all common themes in the art of gourd carving. Many years ago, in order to sell his own gourd works, Tan Xiaocun set up a stall and also went to the scenic spot. For more than 10 years, the family has collected thousands of gourds of different varieties.
Recently, the gourd carving works that were mainly based on traditional themes have produced different artistic sparks through the fusion of the Winter Olympic elements represented by the ice piers, and also made the old craft of gourd carving have a more sense of the times.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Tan Xiaocun rushes to the school to give students a gourd handicraft class. The teaching objects are mainly students from the third grade to the second grade, "the children do not have to take a penny", and the school provides paint and tools.
"By leading the children to plant gourds and make gourd paintings, this craft can be passed on among the children, and one of my dreams has come true." Tan Xiaocun told reporters, "I am also very happy in the process of working and painting with the children. Although there is no lesson fee, I will still stick to it. ”
A public welfare lesson
In the past year, Tan Xiaocun has often ridden electric vehicles to and from his home in the county seat and the school in the township. One way for more than 20 minutes, at least twice a week. Most of the students at Kangzhuang School come from the surrounding villages. Similar to many other township schools, students have limited access to art resources in school. But starting in 2021, students here will have more opportunities to participate in the art practice.
Principal Ma Lewei invited Tan Xiaocun. Then, about two acres of land were opened up in the school, which was specially used to grow gourds, and more than 100 square meters of comprehensive experimental classrooms were built as activity classrooms for art practice. Tan Xiaocun was responsible for growing gourds. From the beginning of the Qingming Dynasty, seedlings and planting began, to the fertilization and spraying of the gourd in the process of growing. "Around July, the gourd climbed the vine. In September, the children started school, and the gourds were basically almost finished. ”
In order to grow a good gourd, Tan Xiaocun spent a lot of effort. In the summer, in order to avoid the hot sun, he set off early to take care of the gourd fields. But because of the "heavy rain" last year, more than 300 gourds were harvested, and the effect was not ideal. From April to October 2021, Tan Xiaocun's mother injured herself in the leg, during which he took care of his mother while planting gourds and giving lessons to students.
During the interview, Ma Lewei specifically mentioned his gratitude to Tan Xiaocun. In fact, from planting gourds to giving lessons to students, it is basically a public welfare, and Tan Xiaocun does not receive remuneration. Before the gourd is knotted, the gourd field is the place where students conduct labor classes. After the harvest of the gourds, under the demonstration and guidance of Tan Xiaocun, the students learned gourd carving and created gourd paintings in the large classroom.
Ma Lewei told reporters that the purpose of all these measures is to "strengthen the labor education of students." "In order to make students fall in love with labor, I thought of planting gourds. From cultivating the land, seedlings, cultivation, fertilization, pruning, etc., all of which were completed by Teacher Tan and led by the students. After the gourd was harvested, Teacher Tan led the students to paint, burn and carve on the gourd. In this way, labor education and art education are combined. ”
"After last year's practice, the response from students, parents and society has been very good. This year, it is planned to distribute gourd seedlings to students who have the intention of planting, and try to further expand the scale through home-school cooperation. Ma Lewei told reporters.
Editor of Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network Liu Qingying