Qingxin District adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, always strengthens cultural self-confidence, adheres to the correct political direction, and solidly promotes the construction of a culturally strong district. "Fresh Release" launched the "Cultural Fresh" series to tell fresh stories, spread fresh culture, and polish fresh images.
Fresh has a tradition of lion dances, and there are also a group of craftsmen who tie lion heads for a living. Zhong Zhangpei of Nanchong Wenkuan Village in Longneck Town has been a rooster lion for more than fifty years. In January 2022, the Wen Kun Zha lion technique was selected into the municipal intangible cultural heritage protection list, and Zhong Zhangpei became the main representative of this traditional skill.
The rooster lion is a faction of the southern lion, it is shaped like a rooster, the face resembles a lion tiger, the most obvious feature is that the lion has a sharp horn on its head. The rooster and lion that are now displayed in front of us have obvious words written on the back part - Zhong Zhangzao, indicating that it is from the hand of Zhong Zhangpei, a non-hereditary heir of Qingyuan City's Qingxin District.
Each lion head made by Zhong Zhangpei has the words Zhong Zhangzuo written on the back.
Zhong Zhangpei is the fourth generation of Zhong's lion skills, he began to learn to tie lions at the age of 8, and has been a rooster lion for more than 50 years. Every year after the Mid-Autumn Festival to the Spring Festival, it is the peak demand season for chicken lions, and Zhong Zhangpei will start to make lion heads as soon as he has time.
Zhong Zhangpei is making the part of the lion's head ear. It is understood that the most important thing in making a chicken lion is the framework. Whether the frame is tied well or not affects the overall shape and durability of the lion's head. Different parts need to be judged by experience to use bamboo baskets of different thicknesses, and the bamboo baskets that Zhong Zhangpei makes the frame are all from the bamboo he planted by himself.
"The most important thing is to make the circle of this base, the circle in the middle and the bamboo in the middle. Several kinds of bamboo are thick and thin, the circle is larger to be thicker, and the bending place is thinner. ”
In the past, materials were relatively scarce, and there were not many tools available to craftsmen. But with their rich imagination and dexterous hands, they can also make lifelike crafts using simple materials.
The silhouette of the lion's head made by Zhong Zhangpei is composed of sandpaper and cement bags. The Zashi people need to attach three layers of sandpaper to the frame, lay a layer of cement bags, and then add a layer of sandpaper after drying. "The lion's head made in this way is both lightweight and durable, and can continue to be used even after being dried by rainwater." Zhong Zhangpei proudly introduced.
After the outline of the lion's head comes out, it is necessary to paint the lion's face with various colors of paint. Zhong Zhangpei's "paintbrush" is homemade, and he says his tin brush is more durable than those on the market.
In fact, the material for making chicken lions is very simple, but it is very testing to the experience and intention of the makers.
A rooster lion normally takes three days to make, and the market price ranges from 800 to 1,000 yuan. The unit price is not low, but the market demand is small, and Zhong Zhangpei can only sell an average of 10 to 30 handmade lion heads per year.
Zhong Zhangpei has taken photos of lion heads in recent years and his own production.
There are fewer and fewer people to tie the lion, but Zhong Zhangpei is still insisting, hoping that the Zhong clan's lion skills can be passed on forever. He made a small lion head tailored for his grandson, and specially added a bright yellow satin lion tail.
Zhong Zhangpei showed off the little lion head he had customized for his little grandson.
"Our family has been tying lions since the time of Taigong, and it must be passed down all the time." My little grandson has been enjoying lion dances since he was in kindergarten, and he has a strong interest in lion heads, so I am now pinning my hopes on my grandson to inherit the lion. ”
The big lion head and the small lion head side by side are the inheritance and hope of the folk lion tie skills, and I would like to thank all the craftsmen for their wisdom and perseverance.
Part of the source: Qingxin District Cultural Center
Reporter: Huang Weiye Jiang Qiwen
Editor: Jiang Qiwen