There was a soft "click", and a bulkhead board was loaded into the cabin of the "ship model" by Liu Xixiu. On May 11, less than 200 meters away from the Zhangwan Shipyard in Jiaocheng, Ningde City, Liu Xixiu, a national-level representative inheritor of the watertight bulkhead ship manufacturing skills in his seventies, was making ship models in his studio.
Liu Xixiu is making a model ship. Photo by Southeast Net reporter Ye Fuguo
Walking into Liu Xixiu's studio, a room of more than 10 square meters, there are several old shipbuilding drawings pasted on the wall, on the board next to the door to make ship models, there are planers, saws, grinders and other tools, and on the table in the corner, there are several unfinished antique ship models.
Liu Xixiu is making a model ship. Photo by Southeast Net reporter Ye Fuguo
"This 'lucky ship' is 'condensed' according to the proportion of the real ship, and it takes about 2-3 months to make one, and some of the simpler ones also take more than 1 month." Liu Xixiu introduced that over the years, he has completed more than 20 ship models. Because of more than 40 years of shipbuilding experience, Liu Xixiu is very handy in making ship models.
Liu Xixiu makes model ships in his studio. Photo by Southeast Net reporter Ye Fuguo
With a spirit of craftsmanship, Liu Xixiu reproduced his nostalgia for the lucky boat into a delicate and unique ship model. These made ship models, Liu Xixiu or give them to relatives and friends for collection, or sell them to people who like ship models.
On May 5, the world's largest antique ship "Funing" sailed to Malacca, Malaysia, and carried out cultural exchange activities there. On the same day, the head of state of Malacca, Mohammed, arrived at the ship to visit and was presented with a model ship "Fu Ning". Liu Xixiu is the "chief master" who built this antique Dafu ship, and the "Funing" ship model is also from his hands.
"Very proud!" Liu Xixiu said that the Fuchuan was able to complete the Southeast Asian journey of re-taking the Maritime Silk Road, which fully demonstrated the charm of "China's watertight bulkhead Fuchuan manufacturing technology".
"The watertight compartment is the most important part of the construction process." The watertight compartment in Liu Xixiu's mouth originated in the Tang Dynasty, which used bulkheads to divide the cabin into different compartments that are impermeable to each other, and when the cabin was damaged and leaked, the seawater could be confined to the partial cabin and not sink quickly.
For thousands of years, this technique was widely used in fishing boats, cargo ships, warships and diplomatic envoys, until the late 18th century, when the technique spread to the West, and watertight compartments became an important structural form in modern ship design, and are still widely used in modern shipbuilding.
Jiaocheng Zhangwan's watertight bulkhead ship manufacturing technology, the Ming Dynasty Hongwu period from the southern Fujian region, has a history of more than 650 years. In 2008, the manufacturing technology of watertight bulkhead ships was included in the national intangible cultural heritage, and in 2010, it was included in the UNESCO "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection".
Liu Xixiu's "Black Ship Five Green Case" ship model. Photo by Southeast Net reporter Ye Fuguo
Liu Xixiu's Liu family has been shipbuilding for generations, and he is the 20th generation of watertight bulkhead Fu boat manufacturing skills, he has drawn thousands of drawings and built thousands of "Fu boats" with his own hands, and the "Fu boats" are closely linked to his life and have never been severed.
At the age of 19, Liu Xixiu followed his father as an apprentice in Zhangwan Shipyard, once in the cabin he picked up an old Fuchuan drawing, compared, painted, and carefully studied shipbuilding design books.
As a well-known local shipbuilder, Liu Xixiu has witnessed the prosperity and downturn of Fuchuan. "In the heyday of the seventies and eighties of the 20th century, there were 3 shipyards in Zhangwan, more than 100 shipbuilders, and orders were received from Zhejiang, Shandong and other places." He said that now there are fewer and fewer orders, shipbuilding is hard work, the salary is not high, and young people are afraid of being dirty and tired and are reluctant to come to study.
With the rapid development of mechanization and intelligence, the orders of "Fu Chuan" are much less than before, and the Fu Boat skills are gradually coming out of the historical stage, and the inheritance is imminent. Liu Xixiu has entered the age of sixties, and now there are not many masters who have mastered this skill accurately, but unfortunately, none of his three children inherited their father's mantle, and many Fuchuan craftsmen have also switched careers to other jobs. "There will always be a day when I can't do it, and I hope that this craft can be passed on by young people."
Although Liu Xixiu can no longer fully rely on this craft to make a living, he still devotes his energy mainly to things related to the inheritance of "lucky ships" such as leading apprentices and shipbuilding, and has not changed for decades.
"Nowadays, Fukufune model handicrafts are very popular among young people, and they can be seen in some boutiques." In recent years, Liu Xixiu began to learn to design models of lucky ships, and most of the ship models in the exhibition hall are made by him.
In addition, Liu Xixiu also brought this intangible cultural heritage skill to the campus, giving this skill more soil for survival. Every Wednesday afternoon, Liu Xixiu will hold a class at the "Watertight Compartment Fortune Boat Manufacturing Skills Club" in Zhangwan Central Primary School, leading students to make handmade models of "Fortune Boats" and explaining related production skills.
Make drawings, knock on the ship's wood, fix the bones and paint them...... From his home to the shipyard, only a road of more than 100 meters, Liu Xixiu has walked for more than 40 years. "Choose one thing for the rest of your life." Liu Xixiu said that she hopes that more young people will be interested in the precious skills of this ancestor and learn to pass it on. "As long as someone is willing to learn, I will teach." (Southeast Net reporter Ye Fuguo)
Source: Southeast Net