[Explanation] There is a genealogy book in front of you, with neat handwriting and solid color; when you flip it gently, the ink is overflowing. They all come from the hand of the genealogist Chen Ruohang.
The 53-year-old Chen Ruohang was born in a family of cultivators. His ancestors first engaged in cultivating the ancestors in the Qing Dynasty.
The Chen family's handwriting genealogy skills in European style have been passed to him, and it is the sixth generation.
At the end of 2014, Chen Ruohang was named "China's Senior Genealogist".
A few days ago, the reporter interviewed the genealogist Chen Ruohang in Minhou, Fuzhou.
[Explanation] Chen Ruohang's studio is located in the town of Minhou County, elegantly decorated, quiet and comfortable.
When the reporter saw him, he was sitting at the desk and writing carefully.
In Chen Ruohang's memory, his grandfather was a good competitor, and he was well-known in Minhou.
When he was 8 years old, Chen Ruohang worked hard with his grandfather to practice European style writing. Since the age of 18, he has participated in compiling and compiling genealogy together.
[Concurrent] Chen Ruohang, senior genealogist
Genealogy is written in folk history and traditional culture. It used to be handwritten before. When I was in elementary school, my grandfather used to write with you. Then, under his influence on Saturdays and Sundays, he wrote slowly until he was a teenager. Then he started to write it for him. This genealogy, so he wrote it for decades.
At that time, my grandfather also confessed that this was a very serious matter. As our inheritors, when going out to help others, we must be conscientious and not sloppy at all.
[Explanation] A genealogy is a history of changes in a period of time and a microcosm of a society. It records the reproduction of a family lineage and the deeds of important people. In Chen Ruohang's view, compiling a genealogy is not an easy task.
An important task of compiling a genealogy is to collect the information of the clan members. The guests take the first draft, and the names, place names, and historical origins in the manuscripts must be verified to ensure the accuracy of the genealogical information.
The members of a family range from a few hundred to tens of thousands, and the number of characters in the genealogy ranges from tens of thousands to more than 1 million.
A choppy stroke or a typo means that the entire page of the genealogy has to be rewritten.
For a long time, Chen Ruohang devoted himself to practicing calligraphy and strictly controlled the rate of typos.
[Concurrent] Chen Ruohang, senior genealogist
I occasionally write down one or two million words in a genealogy. If I don’t say it, I can’t be wrong. I’m going to be wrong when I make a mistake. But the chances are very small. So every time I write a word, I write every page. You have to finish it quietly, until the last word is wrong, you have to replace it on the entire page, and you have to write it again.
The error rate is 10,000 or 20,000 words, one or two words.
There should be no such trick. The main thing is to be quiet, to be quiet, and to write dictatedly.
[Explanation] The reporter noticed that almost all traditional characters are used in the genealogy.
Chen Ruohang memorized the traditional characters by heart.
He told reporters that today, in the process of compiling the genealogy, the typos rate of only 1 to 2 words per 10,000 characters is maintained.
The wear and tear of nearly 80 brushes each year also witnesses the continuous improvement of writing skills.
[Explanation] Although many genealogies have already adopted electronic typesetting and type printing, Chen Ruohang still insisted on handwriting to leave the ink on the paper.
In his opinion, the words written by hand are the best interpretation of the simple and elegant, solemn and dignified, and long-standing characteristics of the genealogy.
[Concurrent] Chen Ruohang, senior genealogist
There are also typesetting and computer versions. I mainly do handwriting. I write on rice paper. The value of handwriting in the ancestral hall is relatively high. There are quite a lot of people who know it now, because it can be saved for generations. , Open the genealogy, there are regular scripts in the genealogy, and if you write it neatly and neatly, people can understand it at first glance.
[Explanation] So far, Chen Ruohang has compiled more than a hundred genealogies by hand alone, and many people have found him admiringly. Although he is overwhelmed by business, Chen Ruohang has maintained a rigorous and serious attitude as always.
For him, the genealogy not only records the blood stories of each family, but also carries the complex of the descendants of Yan and Huang who seek their roots and ask their ancestors.
[Concurrent] Chen Ruohang, senior genealogist
Now there are more people who come back to find their roots and ask their ancestors. The exchanges of this possible genealogy culture to the outside world and overseas exchanges are more prosperous. It should be said that the knowledge of this genealogy will be improved.
The family traditions and precepts are all from the genealogy, so the sacredness of this genealogy is very important.
[Explanation] In the interview, Chen Ruohang mentioned the inheritance of skills several times.
Today, his son has joined the ranks of compiling and revising genealogy, and he is also preparing to build a folk genealogy museum in Dahu Township, Minhou County, his hometown.
In addition, Chen Ruohang is also committed to promoting this skill into the campus, allowing young people to contact and understand the genealogy culture.
[Concurrent] Chen Ruohang, senior genealogist
Enter our campus or open a class by ourselves, recruit some people who are interested, and do some genealogy publicity. Let’s explain the content of the genealogy. It will definitely be for future generations. He will definitely study the family tradition and family precepts. Let's Chinese history and traditional culture.
Reporter Wu Shengwei reports from Fuzhou, Fujian
Editor in charge: 【Luo Pan】