Follow the inheritors of "intangible cultural heritage kitchen knives" to "knives" and experience centuries-old skills

　　China News Service, Zhengzhou, June 18th: Follow the inheritor of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Kitchen Knife" to "knife" and experience the century-old skills

　　Author Yang Dayong

　　Kitchen knives are closely related to people's daily life. Do you know how a good kitchen knife is made?

Let's go and experience the century-old craftsmanship with Li Liuzhu, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Li Ji kitchen knife in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province.

　　Li Ji Kitchen Knife Workshop is located in the courtyard of Li Liuzhu's house. There are some knife forging equipment in the small courtyard. The sharp kitchen knives are made with these inconspicuous equipment.

　　Heating, forging, quenching... It takes more than 50 processes to process a kitchen knife into a finished product. The whole process takes two or three hours. Two people can only process three to five finished kitchen knives in a day.

While introducing, Li Liuzhu filled a large jar with water, which was used to circulate water for electrical appliances when heating the knife blank.

The picture shows the quenching of the blade blank.

Photo by Yang Dayong

　　After filling the water, Li Liuzhu turned on the power and put the knife blank into the heating induction cooker, and soon the knife blank began to turn red.

Looking at the red blade blank, Li Liuzhu said calmly, "The temperature of the blade blank must be above 1200 degrees Celsius before it can be forged."

　　Seeing that the entire knife blank was red all over, Li Liuzhu took the tongs in both hands, gently took out the knife blank, and placed it on the forging equipment.

　　"Da da da da..." With the sound of forging, Li Liuzhu moved the knife blank back and forth under the electric hammer, and the knife blank gradually took on the shape of a kitchen knife.

　　"Heating and forging, only these two processes need to be repeated four or five times, so that the steel of the kitchen knives produced has a high degree of fusion and is not easy to deform." Li Liuzhu said that these two processes are more critical. It was hit by three people with one hammer and one hammer.

Today, the processing technology has been innovated, and equipment is used for heating and forging, which not only saves time and physical strength, but also environmental protection and energy saving.

　　While chatting and laughing, Li Liuzhu had forged the blade blank several times, preparing for the next step of quenching.

I saw Li Liuzhu clamp the heated blade blank with tongs and gently put it into the bucket. As soon as a puff of blue smoke passed, the red blade blank suddenly dimmed.

　　"The color has turned black, and it is still a little deformed. The next process is mostly done manually. The deformed part is shaped with a hammer, and it is also polished." Li Liuzhu took the knife blank from the water and said.

　　Blacksmithing, punting boats, and grinding tofu are the most tiring jobs for locals.

Among them, hitting a kitchen knife is very hard work. I often get up at four or five in the morning and rest at eleven in the evening.

The reason why the 55-year-old Li Liuzhu has persisted to this day is not only his adherence to traditional skills, but also the inheritance of kitchen knife culture.

　　"If you want to master a skill, you must go through thousands of trials." Li Liuzhu followed his father to learn kitchen knife making for nearly 20 years and mastered traditional techniques. Innovations in heating methods and other aspects have added the flavor of the times to the Li Ji kitchen knife.

The picture shows Li Liuzhu, the representative inheritor of Li Ji kitchen knife, introducing the characteristics of kitchen knives.

Photo by Yang Dayong

　　How to make a kitchen knife beautiful and practical?

Generations of Li Ji kitchen knives have been constantly communicating with chefs and listening to various suggestions. After more than 100 years of inheritance, they have formed a unique style. Constantly Handle, Lightweight, Sharp, Durable.

　　"The blade is like a crucian carp, and the back of the knife is like a comb." Li Liuzhu introduced the prepared kitchen knife. The kitchen knife is a kitchen utensil and a work of art.

　　Following Li Liuzhu's close encounter with kitchen knives, I felt that it is indeed a hard job to play kitchen knives. In Li Liuzhu's words, "Knife fighting is very hard, and it is the power of traditional skills that motivates me to stick to it." (End)