[Explanation] A farmyard, two lacquered wooden doors, three blue brick houses...In this small village far from the city, Li Shuangquan, who is over seventy years old, stays in the old house all day, with his callous hands. Repeating the "making a livelihood" handed down from the ancestors-handmade bird cages.
Li Shuangquan is a native of Zhaizi Village, Jiucheng Town, Xinji City, Hebei Province. He learned the craftsmanship of bird cages from his father.
According to Li Shuangquan, when his father was young, he opened a cage shop named "Ji Licheng" in Baoding. Because of its exquisite craftsmanship, high quality and good price, the cage shop business was booming.
[Concurrent] Handmade bird cage production artist Li Shuangquan
My father of the older generation opened a cage shop in Baoding and did this.
When my generation takes over this craft, it must be done well. It cannot be seen by a layman (people), and it is not as good as a layman (man). It is embarrassing, so you have to do it well.
【Explanation】Workers must first sharpen their tools if they want to do well.
While inheriting the craftsmanship of his fathers, Li Shuangquan brought the "ingenuity" of the old artists to the extreme.
It is understood that traditional bird cages are made purely by hand, and the craftsmanship is relatively complicated. The production tools include more than one hundred pieces of knives, files, saws, and hole punches.
In order to make his hands easy to use, Li Shuangquan insisted on designing and polishing these "guys" by himself. He made more than a dozen of them just for carving knives.
The rosewood drill passed to him by his father was regarded as a treasure by him, and it lasted for decades after using it.
[Concurrent] Handmade bird cage production artist Li Shuangquan
This is a carving knife bought from Tianjin. It is not as good as the one I arranged by myself. It is much faster than the knife bought from Tianjin.
And this (rosewood drill) wood is safflower pear, now it’s hard to find. This wood has been around for hundreds of years now. Its advantage is that it’s 365 days a year, whether it’s windy, rainy, or damp. Do not bend, it is always straight.
[Explanation] Li Shuangquan said that a handmade bird cage is composed of a cage frame, a cage ring, a cage bar, a cage door, a cage grab, and a cage hook. When making it, a straight bamboo pole must be selected, split and washed, and then placed in the pot. It is steamed in the inside, dried and left for a few days before sticking the ring, and then through multiple processes of polishing, straightening, perforating and so on You're done.
The entire production process often takes more than a month.
[Concurrent] Handmade bird cage production artist Li Shuangquan
Machines can never replace handwork. You are like carving this flower, hand-carving the height that should be high and the depression that should be carved by hand, which has a three-dimensional effect.
The more difficult part is to bend this claw, and put it on the alcohol lamp (bake it). The heat is almost complete. Use pliers to bend it, and then quickly tie it with iron wire. Bend this claw until it has the same degree of curvature and one end. The curvature is not good, so throw it away.
[Explanation] Due to the adherence to ancient methods and the pursuit of perfection in every process, the bird cage made by Li Shuangquan is well-known far and wide, and is favored by many bird lovers.
However, due to the cumbersome process of hand-made bird cages, we are now facing the dilemma of no successor.
In order to pass on this old craft, Li Shuangquan is currently applying for the municipal intangible cultural heritage for the handmade birdcage craft.
[Concurrent] Handmade bird cage production artist Li Shuangquan
My old towns attach great importance to these old crafts and are willing to protect them. They have given us a lot of platforms for display. I also have this idea to apply for our Xinji city-level intangible cultural heritage, and to pass on the old crafts handed down from our ancestors. Pass it on, don't lose it, and carry it forward.
Reporting by Ai Guangde, Li Qiuhua, Xinji, Hebei
Editor in charge: [Liu Xian]