□ Lee
Thousands of miles of clear skies, along the Lancang River, through the long canyon, along the way the landscape and historical rock carvings make the mood become very happy. This is Nangqian County in Qinghai Province. In the long river of history, the ancestors of the Nangqian people have created their own culture with their own diligence and wisdom, adding an incomparably brilliant color to the history of the development of the Tibetan nation. Today's Nangqian people also grasp the cultural treasures left by their ancestors, combined with the beautiful natural scenery created by heaven and earth, superimposed the reputation of "Yushu Xiaojiangnan" and "Secret Land Nangqian", and inserted wings for the brilliant and colorful tomorrow of Nangqian.
The red pottery complex of the Nangqian people is very deep, especially in the era of material scarcity, poor transportation conditions, and slow economic development, the low-priced but practical red pottery is favored by the Nangqian people. It can be said that in that era, red pottery interpreted the years and lives of the people who were humble. With the continuous development of society and the increasing improvement of people's living standards, porcelain, glass products, stainless steel products, etc. appear in the life of the Nengqian people, and the red pottery gradually fades out of people's sight, and the living customs of the Nengqian people are also subtly changed. Red pottery has disappeared in the eyes of contemporary people, but it has forever remained in the hearts of those older generations, because red pottery has pinned their life value and life emotions.
In today's Nangqian, there is such a group of people. They guard and pass on the saffron culture with their enthusiasm. How do they continue the history of saffron pottery? Walk into the Kagangpu Planting and Breeding Farmers Professional Cooperative in Juela Township, Nangqian County, and you will get a satisfactory answer.
Terracotta pots
Located in the depths of the gorge, the Kagangpu Farmers' Professional Cooperative, which was originally developed on a family model, has now become a cultural development company and a model for the whole township to get rid of poverty and become rich. Dong Zhou is the head of the cooperative and an inheritor of saffron pottery. In order to allow saffron pottery to re-integrate into the lives of modern people and regain its due cultural charm, and in order to let saffron pottery re-realize its economic value and increase the income of the masses, on the one hand, he trained apprentices to teach skills, on the other hand, he ran all day long, looking for a silky opportunity "red line". Speaking of saffron pottery, The Eastern Zhou Said with Great Emotion: "Saffron pottery is not only the traditional culture of the Tibetan people, but also the craftsmanship of successive generations of craftsmen to support their families. I identified the cultural and economic value of saffron pottery, and since 2012, I have focused on the development of saffron pottery, and later established a professional cooperative and developed into a large-scale operation of the company. In the meantime, I experienced the peaks and lows of my career, and I also experienced the impact of my thinking. Now my dream has become a reality, and all this stems from the party's good policies and the government's strong support. I am also very grateful to the villagers for their trust in me, who have made me what I am today. ”
Kyora scenery
The 80-square-meter showroom is a place that The Eastern Zhou is proud of, as it not only displays "treasures" that have been "stolen" from other places, but also displays his ingenuity. Entering the exhibition room, all the arrangements and furnishings seem to return to the starting point of The history of Nangqian through the eyes, and the red pottery in the display cabinet exudes a strong historical atmosphere, just like the Tibetan letters shaped like the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau engraved in the historical memory of Nangqian. Standing in front of each red pottery work, Dong Zhou can skillfully tell the story behind it. When Dong zhou filled the home-brewed barley wine with his own red clay wine glass and offered it to the visitors, the drinkers were all intoxicated by this heavy cultural charm.
Dig up, sift, and mud
In the production room, the disciples of the Eastern Zhou sat on the floor, because they had been engaged in pottery for a long time, and the color of red clay had seeped into their hands. Now the cooperative is formed by 23 farmers and herdsmen, and I take 15 apprentices to pay dividends according to the level of craftsmanship and the number of completions. In the past two years, because the sales of red pottery on the market are relatively good, sometimes there will be products out of stock, the supply exceeds demand, so the highest daily average income of craftsmen can reach about 500 yuan, and the lowest is also 100 yuan. Recently, we are ready to concentrate on making a batch of products that are in high demand in the market. Looking at his apprentice "team", Dong Zhou said triumphantly.
The mud ball came alive in the hands of the craftsmen, and between the breaths the mud ball became a circle of uniform thickness, and then quickly placed on the turntable, rotating at high speed, their fingers quickly shaking with the mud ball, and all the movements seemed so calm and skilled. These actions seem simple, but in fact, they do not, which require years of tempering to achieve the unity of heart and hand, in order to grasp the "degree". Eastern Zhou said that it is very important to select soil for the production of red pottery, and the top layer of soil should be removed when taking soil, and there can be no impurities. The second is to hit the mud, to be repeatedly beaten, such mud is dense and hard, full of toughness, made into mud blocks and then wrapped in plastic for a year. Then there is shaping, engraving and firing, which is more laborious to make the model, removing excess mud, smoothing by hand, except for simple thin wood chips, almost all by the feel. Before entering the kiln, the model should be placed for another three to five days according to the weather, and then it can be fired after drying. At the same time, in order to save environmental protection, they will gather the defective products, smash them into water and soak them in water to make them soft and then use them again.
After the visit, I was deeply touched, and the development of the Kagangpu Planting and Breeding Farmers' Professional Cooperative was not easy and really admirable. They have created their own lives and dreams with diligence and craftsmanship, especially in The Poor Ability to Get Rid of Poverty, they have taken on the role of leaders in poverty alleviation.
finished product
For the saffron pottery that is full of craftsman's painstaking efforts, I believe that picking up is the vicissitudes of life, and letting go is the inheritance of culture, which is the value of saffron pottery born, walked in the world, and exists in the world. This value is in the hearts of every noble person, and this value is measured with their hearts, and saffron pottery is the priceless treasure of the world.
Old red pottery
domestic
Photo: Jiang Yang Tashi Jiang Xinjun
Editors: Yan Huifang Guo Guandong
Intern Editor: Qianhui Zhao
Source: Bright Art Class