Threads jump at the fingertips of Xu Dongfang, the inheritor of the traditional cheongsam clasp handmade skill. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
Fuzhou, February 13 (Ye Qiuyun) "There is a story behind every buckle. "Recently, in the Ancient House of Jixian Bin Yiwen in Zhuzifang, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, a string jumped on the fingertips of Xu Dongfang, the inheritor of the traditional qipao coil and buckle handmade skill, and the crochet needle danced briskly in his hand... Slowly, the lines and fabrics in his hands transform into delicate buckles.
"You fill first, find the back first" "The crooked place is more difficult, places like this will be simpler"... In the ancient house, several handicraft enthusiasts followed Xu Dongfang to learn to make disc buckles, and occasionally there was an inquiry, and Xu Dongfang answered one by one.
Xu Dongfang shows the Kunqu face plate buckle ornament created by xu Dongfang. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
The pan buckle, also known as the pan button, so named because it is made of handmade plates, is a craft ornament unique to China, which has undergone the evolution of successive dynasties and began to take shape in the early Qing Dynasty. In the traditional Chinese cheongsam and horse coat, the disc buckle is used to fix the placket, in addition to the function of the button connecting the placket, it is also the finishing touch of clothing decoration.
In the long years, the buckle as an important craft of female red has been widely spread in the folk. However, with the rapid development of industrial civilization and the change of people's lifestyles and rhythms, the word buckle, like many other traditional skills, has slowly been ignored and forgotten, and the word buckle is both fresh and strange to today's young people.
Xu Dongfang, the inheritor of the traditional qipao clasp handmade technique, is making the clasp. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
"When I was a kid, I was exposed to disc buckle making." As a "post-80s" young man, Xu Dongfang has a special love for the production of disc buckles. She said that grandma can embroider and make clothes, including the making of buckles. Around the age of 10, she began to learn knotted rope, making Chinese knots, hand ropes and other hanging ornaments.
In 2009, Xu Dongfang, who graduated from the Fashion Department of Minjiang University majoring in textile design, was also engaged in graphic design, but she loved the making of disc buckles even more. In 2012, she began to search for teachers in Fuzhou who make handmade buckles, asking them for advice and learning; in 2014, she opened a small studio in Jinshan District, Fuzhou City.
Xu Dongfang shows off his creations of coiled buckle works. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
Knowing that his knowledge reserves are insufficient and need to be "recharged", Xu Dongfang then went to Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other places to learn from the teachers and masters, the sewing skills of hard disk buckles and piping. "Every teacher has their own unique approach, and sometimes it is rewarding to look at the teacher's work." Because of this, Xu Dongfang has strengthened his determination to go out and take a look.
In Xu Dongfang's studio at Jixian BinYiwen Ancient House, her works such as pipa buckles, butterfly buckles, pan incense buckles, bee buckles (leaf buckles), daisy buckles, Ruyi buckles, and traditional pattern buckles are dazzling, attracting many handicraft enthusiasts, citizens and tourists to stop and watch.
Xu Dongfang is instructing craft enthusiasts to make disc buckles. Photo by Ye Qiuyun
"Some are designed according to the needs of customers, and some look at the qipao style and imagine themselves... There is a story behind every buckle. Xu Dongfang said that the production process of the buckle is relatively complex, with more than twenty processes, especially requiring patience and calmness.
In April 2020, the traditional qipao bracelet handmade technique was selected into the fifth batch of intangible cultural heritage projects in Gulou District. "The clasp is not only used as an ornament, but also as a decorative painting." As an inheritor, Xu Dongfang has been experimenting with the cross-border integration of traditional skills and buckles, and at present, she has integrated traditional skills such as embroidery, micro-hooks, lacquer art into the production of buckles.
Xu Dongfang told reporters that at present, there are very few craftsmen in Fuzhou who specialize in the handmade of coil buckles. Now, she runs some handicraft classes to instruct craft enthusiasts in making buckles. "I hope that China's traditional art can enter the lives of more people, and more people will master the craft of disc buckling." (End)