Opening remarks
Brick by brick, all reflect the essence of Lingnan culture. Guangzhou's more than 2,200 years of history of founding has preserved many ancient Lingnan buildings, which are the frozen history of the city and the nostalgia that flows.
Lingnan buildings, after a century of wind and frost, are still shining, conveying to today's productivity standards, social culture and aesthetic orientation.
Who gave them immortal vitality, connecting the ancient with the present? Craftsmanship also.
"Let the city leave a memory, let people remember the nostalgia", inherit and promote the lingnan architectural culture, can not be separated from a group of unique ancient building repairers, they are one of the guardians of Lingnan ancient construction. The spirit of the craftsman is from the heart and in the hand. They have spent their whole lives skillfully, with dexterous fingers, thick joints, thick palms... A pair of hands interprets the life of a craftsman, gives new life to architecture, and guards the memory of the city.
Starting from today, Guangzhou Daily plans to launch a series of reports on "SkillfulLy Built Lingnan • Guardians of Ancient Buildings", visiting craftsmen such as gray sculptures, Manchurian windows, brick and tile works, brick carvings, stone works, wood works, murals, etc., telling the stories of craftsmen with the "hands" of craftsmen, and showing their responsibility and responsibility for guarding and inheriting Lingnan architectural culture.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Guangxiao Temple, Liurong Temple, Yuyin Mountain House, Shanshi Hall, Nylon Hall, Senior Doctor Ancestral Hall, Gongtou Ancient Village Complex... On the eaves tiles of many ancestral halls, temples and large houses in Guangzhou, the gray sculptures are colorful, lifelike and different in mood, attracting passing tourists. They have stood tall over the centuries and silently tell the fascinating story of Lingnan. Behind these gray sculptures is a group of unknown roof craftsmen - gray sculpture repair craftsmen. Accompanied by lime, wind blowing, and sunburn, they restore the scenery in the lonely heights.
Recently, the reporter interviewed two famous gray sculpture craftsmen, Shao Chengcun, a national non-hereditary inheritor, and Cui Jingxing, a municipal non-hereditary inheritor, and approached their lives of adding color to Lingnan architecture with their hands.
The stucco decoration on the roof of the Yuyin Mountain House.
Shaocheng Village, a national non-hereditary inheritor:
"Cornice walking wall" hand-shaped scenery
On April 3rd, Yongqingfang, Liwan District, Guangzhou, was full of tourists and bustling. On a street crossing, Shao Chengcun, a national non-hereditary heir, completely forgot the bustle under his feet and threw himself into the production of gray sculptures. Hearing the reporter's loud call, he turned back, turned around, and the hand holding the ash spoon was stained with lime slag.
"The most commonly used material for plaster is lime, and I have been touching lime with my hands for decades, but the skin is rougher and not tighter!" Shao Chengcun said happily.
Shaocheng Village
The gray sculpture technique of Shao Cheng Village was inherited from his father Shao Yaobo. "The first time I came into contact with the gray sculpture was in 1979, at the Liurong Temple, when it was the winter vacation, and my father took me with me to repair the gray sculpture." Watching the ordinary copper wire and lime materials through his father's skillful hands, turned into vivid and colorful gray sculpture lions, Shao Chengcun was moved.
"When I first learned gray sculpture, I didn't think so far, just to learn a craft to make a living." Shao Chengcun told reporters that he followed his father step by step, from plaster, drafting, shaping, adding color, and slowly mastered the basic skills of the gray sculpture process. In 1987, in order to test Shao Chengcun, his father let him independently take the gray sculpture work, "At this time, I knew that the gray sculpture seemed simple, in fact, the skills were endless, and I immediately asked my father when I encountered something I didn't understand at work." ”
Shao Chengcun said that the most useful truth learned from his father is to be honest as a craftsman, "work honestly and hone your skills, and only then can you have food." "The art of plaster sculpture cannot be lazy." If you don't get home, no one asks you to fix the plaster. Shao Chengcun said.
Shao Chengcun will also "learn from the works of the older generation of gray sculptors". To repair the gray sculpture, I often encounter a situation: the left side retains a gray sculpture original, and the right side is missing a place. "When I repair the right side, I have to compare it with the original work on the left. The lions of the tile eaves are moving and quiet, some are kind and comfortable, and some are angry and round-eyed, and there are many changes. Each gray sculpture has its own personality and will never be a thousand faces. "Now, Shao ChengCun has thoroughly explored the temperament of each bird and beast on the tile ridge. The silent teaching of these works allowed Shao Chengcun to more deeply understand the art of gray sculpture, touch the ingenuity of his predecessors, and absorb these essences for his own use.
A gray sculpture completed by the ShaoChengcun team
Gray sculpture is mainly used in Lingnan building door and window frames, gable tops, eaves tile ridges, pavilion arches and other places to beautify the decoration, the color is gorgeous, not only has aesthetic value, but also contains the architectural wisdom of Lingnan people. Shao Chengcun said that the gray sculptures shaped with the most common lime as the main material can stand outdoors after hundreds of years of wind and rain, and also solve the problems of heatproof, rainproof, moisture-proof, windproof and insect-proof of ancient buildings under the humid and hot weather in Lingnan.
How is this done?
Shao Chengcun introduced that the gray sculpture uses metal or brick tiles as the skeleton fulcrum, and then thickly coats the grass tendon ash (straw stalks add lime fermentation and then put sand, etc.), paper gluten ash (yuanbao paper is fermented with lime and then accompanied by sugar and glutinous rice flour, etc.), and after making a vivid prototype, it is colored with mineral pigments.
The most important thing is that the gray sculpture skillfully integrates all the ash techniques in Lingnan architecture, grass gluten ash, paper gluten ash, tung oil ash, white ash water, and the gray sculpture shaped by these limes is fine and soft on the inside and the outside, which also makes it have a breathing function. "It can absorb and discharge water vapor and heat, balance the humidity and temperature of itself and the surroundings, and make the building warm in winter and cool in summer." He said.
"Whether it is a thunderstorm day or a return to the south, there will be no water droplets in the ancient building houses in Lingnan, relying on lime to absorb water, waiting for the sun to come out and then release water, which solves the humidity problem." Shao Chengcun explained that the large gray sculpture on the roof tile ridge can use its own weight to press the tile surface, which plays a role in preventing typhoons, thus protecting the people in the house. Shao Chengcun believes that gray sculpture is a decorative art that "can breathe", through continuous breathing and circulation, adapting to the high heat and humidity climate of Lingnan, this architectural decorative wisdom is also a precious wealth left by the ancestors to future generations.
Cui Jingxing, the inheritor of the municipal intangible cultural heritage gray sculpture:
There is no trick to plaster sculpture, all relying on a pair of hands
Walking into the Yuyin Mountain House, looking up slightly, on the roof ridge, the wall, the door and wall frieze, the yanglian, the flower box, the flower base, and the downwater pipe, the gray sculpture is everywhere. According to the statistics of the park, there are about 360 themed gray sculptures in the cultural relics area alone, which can be called a gray sculpture art grand view garden. Here, there is a craftsman who has guarded the garden of gray sculptures in the Garden of Yuyin Mountain House for 40 years with his own hands. He is Cui Jingxing, the inheritor of Guangzhou's municipal intangible cultural heritage gray sculptures, and in 1982, he became acquainted with the gray sculptures of Yuyin Mountain House and assumed the role of "guardian".
Cui Jingxing, the inheritor of Guangzhou's municipal intangible cultural heritage gray sculpture
Paper gluten ash, ash spoon, thread spoon, bamboo skewer, fang strip, copper wire, paint, brush, gouache... In order to facilitate the display, Cui Jingxing moved the materials and tools he used to use when he worked from a high place to the table. "The lime that makes the plaster is mixed with paper gluten ash, brown sugar, glutinous rice pulp and other materials, and brown sugar and glutinous rice pulp will react with lime, which can make the material more viscous and more strong after calcification." Cui Jingxing introduced that the well-made lime has a layer of fine fibers like fluff, which can be said to be this layer of "tendons" so that the lime is interconnected, and it is not easy to burst when making pulling, and it can also maintain the moisture of the lime, and it is not easy to dry when shaping.
In addition, the gray plastic pigments used in construction are mineral pigments, which are deep in color, not easy to fade, and the products are more attractive, which is also in line with the principle of "repairing the old as old". "These pigments are made from pure natural minerals and are as expensive as Chinese painting pigments." Cui Jingxing said.
Gray sculpture is generally directly shaped on the building, paying attention to on-site production according to the building itself and the environment, strong plasticity, which also means that it cannot be standardized, all relying on a pair of hands. "Brick carving, wood carving can be made with the help of power tools, and even 3D printing, but gray sculpture has no auxiliary tools, pure handmade." Cui Jingxing told reporters.
The gray sculpture theme is rich, the shape is vivid, the color is gorgeous, showing the distinctive characteristics of Lingnan region.
The long hours of labor filled his hands with calluses. When making gray sculpture, the hand should be in direct contact with the lime, and after the lime is calcified on the hand, it is easy to cause the hand to crack, and the fingers will also "burst". Cui Jingxing admits that it is okay to wear gloves when making large works or relatively rough parts, but when dealing with well-crafted parts, gloves will affect the sensitivity of the hand and the perception of details. "After more than 40 years of practice, my hands are hard and I can prevent corrosion." Cui Jingxing laughed.
The gray spoon, also known as the "gray knife", the spoon head is tongue-shaped, and then the wooden handle, the two are 90 degrees at an angle, which is one of the basic tools to be used when making gray sculpture; the line spoon is a tool used to shape the line and pattern, with a wooden handle, a steel concave and convex spoon head, the concave and convex direction is parallel to the handle; the brush or gouache is used for gray plastic coloring, coloring... These simple materials and tools, through the skillful hands of the gray sculptors, have become the roof ridge, the gatehouse, the illuminated wall, the gables and the vivid flowers, plants, birds and animals, and figures, creating the decorations in the ancestral hall temple and the large house garden...
After repairing the gray sculptures on the building for many years, Cui Jingxing's face was full of wind and frost. "It's sunny on good days, it's raining when it's raining, especially in summer, and the tiles are burned by the hot sun, so you must be able to withstand the hardships." Cui Jingxing summed up 40 years of open roof work, "There is no trick to learning gray sculpture, the most important thing is to accumulate over time, and practice can make perfect." ”
Gray sculpture
Small archives of gray sculptures
Gray sculpture, also known as "gray batch", is a unique traditional architectural decoration process in Lingnan. When building houses, Guangdong people make the best use of their own conditions and add glutinous rice milk, salt and brown sugar to the main materials of shell ash and lime to create this decoration process - "gray plastic".
In addition to the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Nanhai Temple, Liurong Temple, Yuyin Mountain House, Shanshi Hall and other cultural relics buildings, a large number of gray sculptures have been preserved in ancestral halls, academies, private schools, Wen Pagodas, Cantonese residences and other buildings. It is mainly used in the frontal window frames, gable tops, eaves tile ridges, pavilion arches and other places to beautify the decoration, and the traditional Lingnan architecture three carvings (brick carving, stone carving, wood carving) the same name. Raw materials are mainly lime, with acid resistance, alkali resistance, high temperature resistance, waterproof, typhoon resistance and other characteristics.
The color combination of gray sculpture likes to use red, yellow and green, which is dazzling, and is particularly obvious in the color tone of the green brick wall and the gray cylinder tile surface. In order to meet the needs of the architectural style, the expression of "plain tire" will also be adopted.
Gray sculpture
Plaster sculptures everywhere
Bogu Ridge: A kind of positive ridge, Bogu is a generic name for the play of utensils, with auspicious meaning.
Dragon boat ridge: a kind of positive ridge, the Guangzhou area is densely covered with river networks, the ancestors have a tradition of "boats for a living", boats have become the object of worship and incarnate as roof ridges.
Vertical ridge: A type of roof ridge, which is at a 90-degree angle to the positive ridge.
Gray plastic ceramic ridge: In the ancestral halls and temple buildings in Guangzhou, the ceramic sculpture ridge is used in conjunction with the gray sculpture, the flower ridge is on the top, and the gray sculpture is on the bottom, forming the gray plastic ceramic ridge.
Looking at the ridge: The ridge refers to the roof ridge that is mainly for people to appreciate, and usually refers to the requirement of satisfying one side of the viewing, such as the roof ridge at the front cornice of the hatchback building and the roof ridge at the front wing wall of the building.
Gatehouse Ridge: The gatehouse ridge refers to the roof ridge at the entrance of Qingyun Lane.
Gables: Generally decorated with animal and flower ornaments, such as fu rats, dragon head patterns, crested patterns, grass tail patterns, etc.
Illuminated Wall: Illuminated wall is a decorative face directly opposite the entrance of the building. The wall in The Canton area is usually set in conjunction with the walls of houses and decorated with gray sculptures.
Wall frieze: The climate in Guangfu area is humid and hot, there are many typhoons, and the building has few eaves or no eaves, and will not form a rich light and shadow on the wall, so the connection between the eaves and the wall is stiff and lacks transition. Therefore, craftsmen are accustomed to using gray plastic as decorative tapes in the parts below the cornice at the top of the wall, commonly known as "flower trays".
Yang Lian: As a decoration, it is used to illuminate the two sides of the wall or the sides of the door. It consists of two parts: a decorative plaque of gray sculpture and a text. According to the main form of decoration, the gray plastic plaque is divided into plate shape, treasure bag shape, bamboo knot shape and banana leaf shape.
Inheritance is a responsibility
"A gray sculpture apprentice must take at least 10 years before he can take on the role independently, and then he has to hone for 10 years to make better works." Shao Chengcun said that he had brought dozens of apprentices with him, and finally 27 "teachers" were born.
Shao Chengcun summed up two learning "secrets": one is to be able to survive the sun, and the other is to endure loneliness. "The sun in Guangdong is hot, and many people can't stick to it and give up halfway." This technology also needs to sink your heart, truly have no distractions, and constantly ponder in order to realize the doorway. ”
Ouyang Lun, a member of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Expert Committee, told reporters that at present, there are about 200 craftsmen engaged in gray sculpture in Guangdong, mainly distributed in Guangzhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing areas, of which there are more than 50 big craftsmen who can stand alone, and they can independently be competent for batch plastic round carvings and semi-relief gray sculptures; the rest can only do some ornamentation or auxiliary work. As the craftsmen grow old and the lack of young people to join, the entire group of gray plastic craftsmen is facing "green and yellow".
"As a non-hereditary heir, I have a responsibility to pass it on." Nowadays, in addition to repairing the gray sculpture, Shao Chengcun spends more time teaching, "so that the gray sculpture technique can be understood, understood and liked by more people." ”
Planner/Qin Hui, Wang Jun
Coordinator / Xiao Guilai, Ji Shenling
Text/Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng reporters Xiao Guilai, Wu Duo, Chen Junsheng
Photo / Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng reporters Mo Weinong and Li Bo
Video / Guangzhou Daily New Flower City reporter Mo Weinong
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Zhang Yu
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