[Explanation] Corn husks, hemp rope, paper strips, ribbons, leaves... these seemingly ordinary materials will become exquisite crafts in Zhou Dongping's hands.
Zhou Dongping is an art teacher at the No. 1 Elementary School in Nanjing Street, Heping District, Shenyang. He is also the fourth-generation inheritor of "Zhou’s Straw Weaving Skills". Zhou Dongping, with a dual identity, has integrated straw weaving into teaching for more than 10 years. .
In the fourth grade volume of the national art textbook approved by the Ministry of Education, the 16th lesson "The Fun of Wearing Editing" compiled by Zhou Dongping was included. This textbook was officially published in 2021 and applied nationwide.
On March 24, the reporter visited the "straw teacher" at Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School.
[Concurrent] Zhou Dongping, art teacher of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
The fun of compiling this lesson is also an accident, because a few years ago, I participated in a basic skill competition for art teachers organized by Liaoning Province, and my paper three-dimensional work Swan won first class in this competition. prize.
This exquisite work aroused the interest of the experts present. They just happened to compose a lesson called paper threading and weaving, and then they found me, and I worked hard to study these various paper threading and weaving techniques.
[Explanation] Open the textbook and turn to the lesson "The Fun of Wearing Weaving". The first thing that caught the reporter's eyes was a lifelike "Yellow Dragon".
Zhou Dongping introduced that straw weaving is a handicraft made of various herbs as raw materials. The yellow dragon shown in the textbook is made from palm tree leaves.
The straw weaving process is very popular among the Chinese people because of its wide area of raw material growth, easy collection, and relatively small production difficulty.
As early as 1996, Zhou Dongping began to bring straw weaving skills into the classroom. During the years of teaching, Zhou Dongping developed a variety of lifelike animal images, which are deeply loved by students.
[Concurrent] Zhou Meixi, student of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
Because straw can weave a lot of small animals, I like it very much.
(Difficult to make straw) It is not difficult to make straw. It was especially difficult when I first learned it. Now the more I learn, the easier it is.
[Concurrent] Wang Yicheng, student of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
I think straw weaving can cultivate my hands-on ability, and I like it very much.
[Concurrent] Zhou Dongping, art teacher of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
Getting started with straw weaving works can be said to be very simple.
But if you continue to study in depth, you will find that the knitting skills, or some other skills, are very complex and very diverse. Children need to have a certain enduring perseverance to complete.
[Explanation] A pair of flexible little hands circle left and right, a few knots will be tied in a while, and a little goldfish will be done in a while.
Zhou Dongping said that there are many weaving techniques for straw weaving, and the main teaching methods in the school are single weaving and double weaving, which are relatively simple.
Learning straw weaving can exercise children's ability to use their hands and brains, and it is also a way of cultivating aesthetic education. Now many parents have gradually recognized their children to learn this skill.
[Concurrent] Zhou Dongping, art teacher of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
In the 2020 college entrance examination, the artistic skills of physical beauty have been incorporated into the college entrance examination scores.
Therefore, I think the parents are slowly attaching importance to this kind of straw weaving skills.
[Commentary] Zhou Dongping introduced that the earliest straw relics in China were made by the Hemudu people and have a history of 7,000 years.
In 2008, the straw weaving technique was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School introduces the art of straw weaving into the classroom, the purpose of which is to let children feel the vitality of intangible cultural heritage in their hands.
Zhou Dongping said that as a teacher, it is a significant and long-term task for her to be able to make the intangible cultural heritage project active in the classroom.
[Concurrent] Zhou Dongping, art teacher of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
Through the children's learning, I feel that the children have greatly improved in terms of self-confidence, creativity or aesthetics, as well as the cooperation of classmates.
I am also determined to infiltrate children with these skills in teaching in the future, so that children will not only improve their knowledge of cultural courses, but also have a higher level of accomplishment in art.
[Concurrent] Liu Xiaofeng, Vice Principal of Nanjing Street No. 1 Primary School
When intangible cultural heritage enters the campus, it enhances students’ understanding of intangible cultural heritage, enhances students’ sense of national pride, and improves students’ awareness of intangible cultural heritage, protection awareness and belief in inheritance. , But also improved the children's hands-on ability and aesthetic appreciation.
[Explanation] In the future, Zhou Dongping has another ambitious plan to lead the students to make a sketched version of "A River on the Qingming Festival" and make the animals, figures, trees, and buildings in the painting one by one.
In addition, she is also preparing to record the online grass weaving public welfare course, so that more people can understand and know the grass weaving.
Wang Yilin reports from Shenyang
Editor in charge: [Li Yuxin]