Editor's note: The beautiful Linxia County "Dabeiyuan Cup" Literature Competition was announced on November 5, and one first prize for poetry and prose, three second prizes, five third prizes, and eight excellence awards were selected. The works closely follow the theme of Linxia County, fully displaying and reflecting the beauty of nature, development, humanities, food, folk customs, beautiful scenery and human history of Linxia County. This event was sponsored by Wanxiangyuan Oil Processing Factory in Linxia County. This issue of "Linxia Literature and Art" publishes the second prize works in the prose category to feed readers.
"Qinyuan Spring Snow" Bai Zhengbing
Little Gourd Big World
- Bai Zhengbing and his gourd carving art
Dong Keyi
The gourd, Fulu also, is one of the most original mascots of the Chinese nation.
Gourd is one of the earliest plants domesticated by humans, containing rich practical, artistic and cultural values, and has played an important role in different historical development stages of human society. The appearance of the gourd is soft and round, the upper and lower spheres are natural, with a distinct harmonious image, in line with people's good wishes for blessings and peace, the pursuit of harmony and perfection of life, the profound cultural connotation has been endowed with the humanistic meaning of peace and auspiciousness, beauty and harmony, and has become one of the most important auspicious totems of the Chinese nation. Thus, gourd is not only a natural melon fruit, but also a humanistic melon fruit with rich connotations in Chinese culture. Therefore, for thousands of years, gourds, as a mascot and ornamental object, have been loved and cherished by people.
Linxia gourd carving is a brilliant pearl in the gourd culture, with a long history, at the latest in the Qing Dynasty, carved gourd has been introduced into Linxia, after generations of folk artists inheritance and innovation, has become a collection of calligraphy, painting, carving in one of the unique exquisite national crafts, known as "Linxia a must". In 2006, the Linxia carved gourd was included in the first list of intangible cultural heritage of Gansu Province.
Linxia people love gourds, or plant, or carving, or collecting, or playing, with a long history, the weather is extraordinary, a group of gourd carving masters have emerged, famous in the northwest and even the whole country, Mr. Bai Zhengbing is one of the best.
I first met Mr. Bai Zhengbing at a party a few years ago, and the participants were all folk art and folk craftsmen with a certain reputation in Linxia, most of whom were familiar with each other, and only one or two unfamiliar faces, he was one of them. That day, he wore a light coffee-colored Tang costume, with a big back hairstyle, well-groomed, often showing a subtle smile during the banquet, silent and silent, and his eyes were shining, giving people a sense of courtesy, handsomeness, calm and capable. An acquaintance introduced me and said that his name was Bai Zhengbing, the vice president and secretary general of the Linxia Gourd Association, and a master gourd carver. When toasting each other, he said that there was a gourd pavilion in Lane 13 of Bafang and 13 in Linxia City, and invited me to visit it when I was free. After that, I accompanied my friends and foreign guests to Bafang and 13 Alleys several times to visit his gourd museum, and I was always amazed and moved by the dazzling and exquisite gourd works carved by him, but there was not much communication, just a few greetings. Later, he opened another gourd museum in Chama Ancient City, known as "Huaxia Gourd Museum", I visited and invited him to join the Linxia Prefecture People's Association many times, and also suggested that he be appointed as the deputy secretary-general, so I had more contacts and more exchanges, and I also had a relatively in-depth and comprehensive understanding of him and his life, the road of gourd carving and artistic achievements.
He was born in 1976 in Xinfu Village, on the north plateau of Linxia County, which is a hot land with a strong tradition of gourd carving and humanistic connotation, and has formed an indissoluble bond with gourds since he was a child. His father used to grow gourds, and according to him when he was a child, he used to live in a grass hut to guard the gourd fields. His older brother is a gourd carver, and under its influence and influence, he has loved gourds since he was a child, and he likes to carve gourds. He has loved painting since he was a child, and when he was in elementary school, he often taught himself to describe various flowers, plants, characters, birds and beasts according to the villain's book, and was so famous in school that the blackboard newspaper in every class in the school would invite him to complete or guide. According to him, the tools used to carve the gourd were so precious that his brother forbade him to touch them. Because the family grows gourds and has his brother's tools, the idea of carving gourds came up at a very young age. He said that once when his brother was not at home, he picked up the carving knife and carved the gourd like his brother, and after carving it was good, he was secretly excited for several days, and then often secretly carved and hid the carved gourd. At that time, rural life was very difficult and difficult, his family was the same, he suddenly thought of selling gourds, once he took his secretly carved gourd to Linxia Old Flower Market to sell, did not expect that a gourd was sold for 1.7 yuan, in this era for a child was a big income. The gourd he carved suddenly had value, which excited him, and after this incident, his brother no longer objected to using his tools, and took the initiative to teach him the art of carving gourds. After that, whenever he had free time, he learned to carve gourds with his brother, and from time to time he sold them at the old flower market in Linxia to subsidize his family. After graduating from junior high school in 1992, due to family difficulties, he did not go to high school again, which officially began his career as a gourd carver. Later, he set up a stall in Linxia City to sell gourds because he met Mr. Ma Yaoliang, a first-class arts and crafts master in Gansu Province, and studied gourd carving skills from him.
He has made unremitting efforts and explorations on the road of gourd carving, and while learning the art of gourd carving with his teacher, he is eager to learn traditional culture, learn art theory, learn painting art, learn regional culture, broaden artistic vision, improve artistic literacy, and strive to combine art theory with his own gourd carving practice. After six years of learning, practice and art accumulation, he has become a well-known local gourd carver, which has also laid a solid foundation for his future gourd carving career.
In order to earn money to support his family, he was introduced to Sanhe City, Hebei Province in 1998 to engage in the carving of bones, ivory, horns and other handicrafts, and then went to Beijing Panjiayuan Antique Market to specialize in ivory carving for many years. It is the stone of the mountain, can attack jade, art is connected, especially the same carving technique, this experience has had a profound impact on the conception, creation and skill of his gourd carving art. Although he made a lot of money outside, he still couldn't forget the gourd dream imprinted in his heart since he was a child, and couldn't let go of the gourd carving art he loved since childhood, and in September 2009, he resolutely returned to his hometown and devoted himself to the art of gourd carving. In August 2010, he founded the Zhenbin Arts and Crafts Distribution Department of Linxia County, engaged in the creation and distribution of gourd carving artworks, and at the same time, led the majority of fellow villagers to engage in gourd carving, increased income, and gained a good reputation in the industry.
Gourd carving is a collection of calligraphy, painting, seal carving in one of the folk art, a wide variety, according to the shape can be divided into long-mouth gourd, thin waist gourd, flat round gourd, egg gourd, pimple gourd, ten-claw gourd, hand twisted gourd, etc., some natural growth, some need to be artificially shaped during the growth process. The engraving process is extremely complex, and after completing the preparation processes such as material selection, foaming, scraping, and varnishing, the content is determined according to the size and structure of the gourd, and the picture is conceived. Creation generally begins with a pencil primer, which is called "citation"; The engraving is then pierced with a special steel needle, then painted with pine ink and finally varnished. The technique is roughly the same as the pen carving, point, pick, stroke, pull, thorn, hook, etc., and strive to cooperate with the eyes, heart, and hands to cooperate tacitly, in one go, and the slightest carelessness may fall short.
After more than 20 years of painstaking study, creation and carving practice, he has mastered the planting, modeling and preparation skills of gourds, mastered the composition and techniques of gourd carving, and formed his own distinctive style, with his artistic endowment and intelligence, with the perseverance and perseverance of an excellent craftsman, and with tens of millions of times of grinding, he mastered the composition and techniques of gourd carving, and formed his own distinctive style, ranking among the top gourd carving masters in Linxia and even Gansu.
Little gourd, big world. His gourd carving art covers a wide range of subjects, including classical literature, traditional drama, mythological stories, folklore, landscapes and plants, rare birds and animals, scenic spots, ethnic customs and regional culture, etc., all of which are beautifully presented on small gourds. In terms of expression, some people, objects or scenes use close-up techniques; Some use a serial approach, and there are many characters. The technique is based on Chinese line drawing, and the landscape pattern inherits the Chinese painting methods of draping linen, axe splitting, and lotus leaf wrinkling. The composition adopts the scattered perspective of Chinese painting, mainly based on the Gaoyuan method and the Pingyuan method. The picture is either segmented or coherent throughout, that is, the pursuit of "complex", "micro" and "fine", but also pays attention to the grandeur of the scene. For example, his "One Hundred Arhats", on a gourd 48 cm high and 22.5 cm in diameter, carved a hundred vivid arhats, grand scenes, just the right layout, exquisite composition, different expressions and lifelike characters, exquisite lines, and thick and appropriate ink, all of which make people praise, but also highlight his superb carving skills and the height reached by a master of gourd carving art, and this work has won many awards. For example, his small pimple gourd work "Eighteen Arhat Figures", on a gourd with a height and diameter of only 5 cm, using its own pimples all over the strange and strange natural form, using each convex and concave, spotted, or as a forehead, or as a back, or as a big belly, or as bare breasts, etc., just right, ingenious, the eighteen arhats carved between square inches have different demeanors, vivid moods, artistic conception, infinite interest, making people praise and love.
The artistic pursuit is endless, he is not a person who sticks to tradition, while inheriting traditional culture, he relentlessly pursues the innovation of gourd carving. In terms of subject matter, it adheres to the inheritance tradition, and integrates faience, peony and other summer elements into the art of gourd carving. In terms of technique, he tried relief carving, open-cut carving, calendering and other crafts, such as his innovative development of calender craft works favored by industry insiders and gourd lovers, and his "Warding Off Evil in the Sky" won the second prize of the 12th Gansu Province Arts and Crafts "Hundred Flowers Award" for creative innovation.
He took one step at a time on the road of gourd carving, and successively created a large number of exquisite carved gourd works, achieving progress and remarkable results one after another. In the 12th Gansu Province Arts and Crafts "Hundred Flowers Award" in 2012, his "One Hundred Arhat Diagrams" won the first prize of production skills, "Bamboo Jane Eighteen Arhats" won the second prize of creative innovation, and the calender carved gourd "Ward off Evil in the Sky" won the second prize of creative innovation. In 2014, his "One Hundred Arhats" won the first prize in the Linxia Prefecture Calligraphy and Painting, Ornamental Stone, Carved Gourd, and Flower Bonsai Art Exhibition. In 2014, his "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" won the first prize of the 13th Gansu Province Arts and Crafts "Hundred Flowers Award" production technique, "One Hundred Arhats" won the second prize of production skills, and the ten-clawed gourd "Eighteen Arhats" won the third prize of creative innovation. In 2018, he participated in the "Belt and Road" series of Sino-Russian local cooperation activities "Special Exhibition of Chinese Gansu Folk Artists to Russia Exchange Activities", his "Sino-Russian Friendship Lasts Forever" was collected by the China-Russia Business Park Chinese Cultural Center, "Sino-Russian Good Brothers" was collected by the Moscow State Pedagogical University Exchange and Oriental Culture Center, and later won the first prize in the "Gansu Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Fine Works to Russia Exchange Return Report Exhibition" organized by the Gansu Art Museum.
His remarkable achievements on the road of gourd carving art have been widely recognized and highly praised by organizations and society at all levels. In 2010, he was admitted as a member of the Gansu Arts and Crafts Association. In 2014, he was awarded the title of senior engraving artist by the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and the Gansu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security. In 2016, he won the honorary title of Gansu Province Arts and Crafts Master, and was also rated as the outstanding member of the 2016 All-State Federation of Arts and Crafts by the Linxia Prefecture Federation of Literature and Literature. In 2017, he won the first "Hezhou Craftsman Nomination Award" of the Linxia Prefecture Party Committee and the Prefecture Government. In this year, he was hired by Gansu Reader Research Education Technology Co., Ltd. as an expert consultant for reader study trips, and his studio was listed as a teaching base for reader study trips, and was also hired as an off-campus tutor by Linxia Youth Activity Center. In 2018, he was admitted as a member of the Gansu Provincial People's Association. In 2019, he became the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Linxia Gourd Carving, and was also elected as a director of the Linxia Prefecture People's Association and appointed as the deputy secretary-general. In 2021, he was elected as the vice chairman of the Linxia Prefecture People's Association.
In 2019, his artistic achievements and impressive achievements have received extensive media attention, and his works and deeds have been reported many times by Gansu Daily Gansu Net, Today's Headlines, China Linxia Net, Linxia TV Station, Minzu Daily, Hezhou, etc., in January 2019, CCTV's "Chinese Nation" column "Art Eight Fang" reported his carving gourd art, and in August CCTV's "Discovery Tour - Range Rover Shenzhou" column "Symphony Silk Road Flowers Linxia" reported his carving gourd art.
The effort pays off. With so many dazzling auras, so much enthusiasm, it is truly deserved, affirming the pride of his gourd carving artistic achievements from another angle. But he is a humble and down-to-earth person, he never shows off these, he still does not forget his original intention, with the mentality of a craftsman, with the persistence of a craftsman, with the meticulousness of a craftsman, with the spirit of craftsmanship, silently forge ahead, carve gourds, play with gourds, and accept apprentices to inherit the art of gourds. There is reason to believe that fortunately in this great era, coupled with his intelligence, artistic endowment, dexterous hands and perseverance and perseverance, his road of gourd carving will surely go further and further, and his flower of gourd carving art will surely bear more fruitful fruits!