[Source: Shaanxi Net]
"Although the gourd is small and hides the world, it accompanies me for thousands of miles. The Song Dynasty poet Lu You once expressed his love for gourds in ancient poems, and thousands of years later in Xi'an, there was also a person who was obsessed with gourds. With the unique culture and art in Guanzhong, he gave the gourd a new connotation, so that the little gourd exudes brilliant brilliance in the new era.
"Guanzhong gourd carving skills are the Guanzhong area folk bamboo carving, carving, branding, relief, painting, calligraphy and other skills into the gourd, and by means of carving hollowing, the gourd itself is combined with the later artistic processing, so as to exude the ultimate technical aesthetics. Shaanxi Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Guanzhong gourd carving skills inheritor Liang Ping'an said.
Walking into Liang Ping'an's studio, various styles of gourds come into view. Large and small, round and long, all kinds of colors, as if people can enter the "ocean" belonging to the gourd in an instant.
"These gourds in my studio, with different forms and a wide range of uses, have been carefully collected by me over the years. "For every gourd placed in the studio, Liang Ping'an is like a treasure, telling the story between him and these gourds. His wife laughed and said that he was more obsessed with gourds than he liked anything.
"The reason why I like gourds is because I have been influenced by my family environment since I was a child. My father was a master of bamboo weaving and carving, and many of the family members were also craftsmen. After learning the carving skills, in order to learn from each other's strengths, I also systematically learned calligraphy and painting, which laid a solid foundation for the content depiction of the gourd carving skills in Guanzhong. Liang Ping'an said.
It is not an easy task to create a qualified gourd. Liang Ping'an said: "To make Guanzhong gourd, we must start with the selection of gourd. Like some of the current mainstream gourd varieties, mainly large gourds, sub-waist gourds, oblate round gourds, long-stemmed gourds and skull-gourds. After selecting the gourd, it is necessary to carry out a series of ideas for creation according to the shape and texture of the gourd, and then clean the gourd, pattern drawing, carving, polishing, coloring and other processes. ”
"You can't be in a hurry to make a gourd, you have to take it one step at a time, so that you can have a better harvest. Liang Ping'an's gourd creation road is not all smooth sailing, but it is precisely because of his own stable mentality that he can go further and further on this road.
With the blessing of a good attitude and exquisite skills, the ice piers and snow melt of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were skillfully created by him on the gourd. In addition, a series of grand events in Xi'an, the four treasures of the Qinling Mountains and other contents also provided him with a lot of inspiration.
Liang Ping'an always said: "The land of Xi'an is a hot land for creation. A lot of the inspiration for my work comes from the cultural and historical accumulation of this ancient capital of the Thirteen Dynasties. ”
Inheriting the culture and carrying it forward with a gourd is only the first step for Liang Ping'an. In his view, although creation is important, what is more important is inheritance and development.
To this end, he has taken students to learn the skills of gourd carving in Guanzhong from a very early age.
"I came here to learn the skills of making gourds in Guanzhong from Mr. Liang. As a post-90s entrepreneur, my vision is to combine the techniques of Guanzhong Hulu with the anime cartoon characters that modern young people like, so as to produce works that are suitable for their age and aesthetics. Li Erqiang (pseudonym) said.
In the face of the idea of his apprentice detaching himself from traditional creation, Liang Ping'an is particularly open-minded. "A generation has a generation of gourd creation road, she is willing to try on the gourd in Guanzhong, I will support her. ”
As an honorary master of arts and crafts in Shaanxi Province, Liang Ping'an also actively participates in various intangible cultural heritage activities and assumes the responsibility of intangible cultural heritage publicity. At the first annual meeting of China's intangible cultural heritage protection, his gourd carving skills in Guanzhong attracted the attention of many tourists. In addition, Liang Ping'an is well aware of the concept of pan-inheritor, and he actively brings the gourd carving skills in Guanzhong into the Middle School Affiliated to Jiaotong University, so that children can understand intangible cultural heritage from an early age, and plant the seeds of understanding Guanzhong gourd carving in their hearts and liking this skill.
In Liang Ping'an's view, inheritance is one thing for the development of intangible cultural heritage, but more importantly, it is necessary to innovate in inheritance. "I am very proud of my student's innovation, and I will do my best to help her, so that Guanzhong's gourd carving skills can be better recognized and liked by everyone. Liang Ping'an said.
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