Lin Shunkui (left) Weng Son-in-law exchanges Yueqing jewelry dragon lamp production experience Zheng Jianpei photo
A few days ago, the results of the 15th China Folk Art Mountain Flower Award were announced, and a total of 20 award-winning works (pieces and sets) were evaluated, including 4 outstanding folk art academic works (sets), 5 excellent folk art performance works, 3 excellent folk literature works, and 8 outstanding folk arts and crafts works (sets). Another 132 works (pieces, sets) were shortlisted for final evaluation. Lin Shunkui, the representative inheritor of the Yueqing Jewelry Dragon National Intangible Cultural Heritage from Yueqing North White Elephant, won the Chinese Folk Art Mountain Flower Award (Excellent Folk Arts and Crafts Works Category) for the lantern color "Yueqing Jewelry Dragon Lantern", and was the only winner of the Wenzhou Regional Mountain Flower Award in this category.
It is understood that the "Mountain Flower Award" for Chinese folk literature and art is a national-level folk art award jointly issued by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Folk Writers Association, and belongs to the highest awards in the mainland literary and art circles, along with the "Hundred Flowers Award" for films, the "Golden Eagle Award" for television, the "Plum Blossom Award" for opera, and the "Lotus Award" for dance. The "Mountain Flower Award" of Chinese folk art is awarded to those who have made remarkable achievements and outstanding contributions in folk art work and activities. The award is awarded every two years.
Ingenuity Let the jewelry dragon lamp shine
"The 15th Chinese Folk Art Mountain Flower Award is as good as a cloud, which can be said to have passed five levels and slashed six generals. I remember very clearly, it was the nineteenth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar in 2019, and we escorted the Yueqing jewelry dragon to Xingning, Guangdong Province, to participate in the preliminary evaluation of the 15th Chinese Folk Art Mountain Flower Award. In January this year, with Yueqing Jewelry Dragon, went to Hangzhou Yuhang, January 14 after completing the final evaluation, January 17-21, Yueqing Jewelry Dragon successfully entered the Mountain Flower Award • Excellent Folk Arts and Crafts Works proposed to be awarded list of works, and at the same time entered the publicity of a total of 8 works in the country. On February 11, the results of the 15th China Folk Art Mountain Flower Award were announced, and the Yueqing Jewelry Dragon Lantern was on the list as desired, which made Lin Shunkui, who had insisted on more than half a century, overjoyed and proud.
Born in 1956, Lin Shunkui is a native of Dongcai Village, North Baixiang Town, Yueqing City, and at the age of 15, he began to learn Yueqing fine grain carving paper and Yueqing jewelry dragon making with his father, Lin Bangdong, a master of Chinese arts and crafts and the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Yueqing fine grain engraving paper. Lin Shunkui is the fifth generation of the Lin family, and is now the representative inheritor of Yueqing Jewelry Dragon National Intangible Cultural Heritage, a master of arts and crafts in Zhejiang Province, and the deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Lantern Professional Committee.
Yueqing jewelry dragon, commonly known as "jewelry dragon lamp" and "dragon boat", originated in the last years of the Ming Dynasty and is one of the traditional arts and crafts varieties of Yueqing. Yueqing jewelry dragon production skills set hundreds of long, production process is cumbersome, complex, huge engineering, including carpentry, fitters, oil paint, bamboo weaving, paper tie, lamp color, engraving paper, clothing design, character sculpture and antique architecture. And Lin Shunkui is an expert in weaving, carving paper, etc., proficient in carpentry, fitters, etc., he uses a variety of large and small tools, these crafts are integrated, beads are integrated, and the Yueqing jewelry dragon is built into a craft with mountain and sea characteristics, full of life interest and cultural charm, making it a gorgeous and wonderful ouyue culture.
"A jewelry dragon, there are tens of thousands of parts alone, all handmade, without a single drawing, all based on experience." Speaking of Yueqing Jewelry Dragon, Lin Shunkui's head is the Tao, gushing endlessly. More than 50 years of ingenuity and excellence have made Lin Shunkui famous, and many people have sought him to make Yueqing jewelry dragons. "In 2021, I made 3 jewelry dragons and 5 flat dragons..." On the afternoon of February 12, at the Lin Shunkui Jewelry Dragon Lantern Art Studio in Dongcai Village, North Baixiang, the reporter saw a beautifully made Yueqing jewelry dragon.
Turn on the switch, the lights are on, Yueqing jewelry dragon is rich in ink and color, beautiful, exquisite decoration is in the buckle, the jewelry dragon is surrounded by Yueqing fine grain engraving paper, the overall upper and lower levels overlap and overlap, the interior and exterior decoration are deepened, and the rich shape of paper flowers, embroidery, painting, pendants, lanterns and built-in light sources are interesting. "This jewelry dragon will soon be shipped to Shandong, and it was customized by a folk museum." Lin Shunkui said with a smile.
Yueqing jewelry dragon traditional folk culture is rich in atmosphere and is very popular. As early as 2008, the Yueqing Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum collected the Yueqing jewelry dragon made by Lin Shunkui. Since then, the Yueqing Jewelry Dragon has also flown to the national palace. In 2007, the "Exhibition of Achievements in the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China" was exhibited at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and Yueqing Jewelry Dragon was invited to participate in the exhibition. The dazzling Yueqing Jewelry Dragon soon became an eye-catching "star" and was collected by the China Academy of Art after the exhibition.
In recent years, Yueqing Jewelry Dragon has also become a hot spot for media at all levels such as Xinhua News Agency and CCTV. CCTV 1 set of "Heirloom", 10 sets of "Exploration and Discovery , Craftsmanship", 7 sets of "Countryside", 4 sets of "Distant Home • Baichuan Xing • Into Wenzhou Home in Yandang Mountain", "Inheritor Skills" and Beijing Satellite TV "Inheritor", Anhui Satellite TV "Hundred Family Names" column, etc. have focused on Lin Shunkui's Yueqing jewelry dragon, and are deeply impressed by his exquisite skills.
Innovative "characters" will be a must
Yueqing jewelry dragon is generally 5.5 meters long, 3.5 meters high, 2.3 meters wide, the structure is like a ship, the front dragon head is the back dragon tail, the middle dragon body, a complete jewelry dragon has more than 80 pavilions, and about 300 silk sculpture figures.
The magic of The Yueqing Jewelry Dragon made by Lin Shunkui is that by gently flicking the handle on the jewelry dragon, more than 300 ancient and modern characters of different shapes immediately dance with their hands, and various scenes come alive and interesting, which is a must and breathtaking. During the exhibition in Hangzhou, Haining and other places, Yueqing Jewelry Dragon attracted many visitors to participate in the interactive experience, and even some foreigners also enjoyed it.
"This is thanks to interlocking wooden gears. About 160 large and small wooden gears are scattered everywhere. According to the overall arrangement of the jewelry dragon and the rotation needs of the characters, the corresponding size gears are made, with four or five different specifications, which are used to control the speed and movement of the characters. Gears are then installed sequentially according to the arrangement of the hall and the action performances of the characters. Lin Shunkui said.
"The previous jewelry dragon was small, only the dragon head dragon tail 20 people can move, the handle is under the jewelry dragon belly, not convenient to operate." Continuous commissioning and improvements have made the process more sophisticated. In 2008, Lin Shunkui changed the hand-made crank to the side of the jewelry dragon, which is simple to operate and more interactive.
He also "moved" thirty-six scenes such as grinding tofu, playing cotton, treading water wheels, making needlework, and playing acrobatics into the Yueqing jewelry dragon. Now the content of the jewelry dragon is more colorful, with more than 300 operas, mythological characters and various pavilions such as "Journey to the West", "Water Margin", "Fengshen Yanyi", "Sui and Tang Dynasty Yanyi", etc., which are vivid and fascinating.
Inheritance Let more people like folk lights
Walking into Lin Shunkui Jewelry Dragon Lantern Art Studio, plaques such as "Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Productive Protection Base" and "Wenzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Base" at the gate are particularly eye-catching.
From October 2020, there is another identity here, the North White Elephant Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall, which has become another important window for the display of Yueqing jewelry dragons and Yueqing fine-grained engraved paper. The reporter saw at the scene that there is a jewelry dragon production area, a display area, an operation area, etc., and a visit will intuitively understand the production process, artistic characteristics and cultural value of the jewelry dragon. "People often come to visit, and not long ago, a group of personnel from the Shenzhen Non-Heritage Office came to learn from them." Lin Shunkui said.
In addition to letting his son-in-law Huang Meng and daughter Lin Xiaoqing pass on the mantle, Lin Shunkui also taught Yueqing jewelry dragon making skills to apprentices from Yueqing and Guizhou, Yongjia and Qingtian. In order to let more people know and like the folk lights of Yueqing jewelry dragon and let the traditional craft go further, Lin Shunkui has been teaching students of Baixiang Middle School for many years. His studio has also become a practical education base for Wenzhou Polytechnic Institute. "During the winter vacation, some students spontaneously come to learn art as a social practice." Lin Shunkui introduced.
In June 2018, he also made room for the newly built new house, founded the Lin's Fine GrainEd Paper engraving, jewelry dragon lamp art museum, and specially made a new Yueqing jewelry dragon to place in it, for the four parties to objectively enjoy and experience the interaction at zero distance.
Source: Hurry up Wenzhou APP County Channel Yueqing Rong Media Center
Preliminary Editor: Wu Tongtong
Editor-in-charge: Gu Zhangtong
Review: Peng Yongtang
Chief Producer: Chen Taisheng
Producer: Chen Yiquan Chen Xiyu
Director system: Chen Zhenshi