China News Service, Yiyang, August 4th: Interview with Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Art "Non-genetic" Heir: It is ingenuity to choose one and love for a lifetime

　　China News Network reporter Han Hui

　　"I told my family back then that I would try for three years. If I didn't succeed, I would only be in my early 30s, and I still have time to transition to other things. I didn't expect that this test would last for 30 years." Wei Lumian, the inheritor of Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Art, said with emotion about his story of becoming attached to bamboo.

　　Recently, the 2022 "Dream China·Happy Hunan" overseas Chinese media, guided by the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and hosted by the Hunan Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, visited Yiyang City to learn about the national intangible cultural heritage of Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Art, and interviewed the representative successor Wei Lumian. .

　　"Our ancestors made writing brushes. It has a history of more than 170 years in Yiyang. It is already the fifth generation here. Due to the gradual shrinking of the market, from the 1980s to 2020, it stopped for about 35 years." Wei Lu Mian recalled that when he was just a teenager, he often went to the bamboo art factory near his home to play in his spare time. Xiaoyu became interested in bamboo art.

　　"Yu" is in Yiyang dialect, which means to heat bamboo on fire to bend it for shape.

Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Art refers to small pieces of bamboo utensils made by traditional techniques such as spelling, inlaying and tenoning.

Tourists stop and watch in front of the Xiaoyu bamboo art exhibit.

Photo by Han Hui

　　In 1992, 28-year-old Wei Lumian resigned from the then state-owned enterprise despite the opposition of his family and founded Yiyang Traditional Bamboo Art Factory.

In order to devote himself to learning bamboo art techniques, Wei Lumian officially worshipped the old bamboo art masters Gong Dihua, Xie Changgeng and others as teachers.

　　"Xiaoyu bamboo craftsmanship is relatively complex and labor-intensive. Our masters are often scratched or cut by materials and tools. It is indeed difficult to learn at the beginning, and most people are reluctant to come to suffer this kind of hardship." Wei Lu Mian told reporters that Xiaoyu Bamboo Art brought him a lot of happiness after persevering over the years.

　　Wei Lumian introduced that Xiaoyu's bamboo art is exquisite in the selection of materials. Generally, rigid (hemp) bamboo with a diameter of less than 5 cm is used to make the skeleton, and moso bamboo is used to make the parts.

When making bamboo art utensils, it must go through more than 30 processing procedures such as material selection, cutting, oil burning, and simmering.

"Among them, the most critical step is the formation of fire, and its technical difficulty is relatively large."

　　"There are no two identical bamboos in the world. Xiaoyu bamboo art is difficult to standardize. At present, 90% of it is done by hand." Entering the new century, traditional handicrafts have been increasingly impacted. Wei Lumian also tried to use modern machines to improve efficiency. , but with poor results.

Wei Lumian told reporters that until now, except for simple processes such as cutting, grinding, and punching, most of the processes are difficult to use machines.

　　Hard work pays off.

In 2006, Xiaoyu Bamboo Art successfully declared the first batch of intangible cultural heritage in Hunan Province.

In 2011, Xiaoyu Bamboo Art was promoted to the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage, and Wei Lumian became the inheritor.

　　Wei Lumian is not a rigid adherent to the inheritance of Xiaoyu's bamboo art. He often thinks about how to bring forth new ideas.

Many of his handicrafts incorporate Xiaoyu bamboo art, Chinese pottery art, sculpture and other arts.

Photo by Xiaoyu Bamboo Art Han Hui

　　In addition to concentrating on researching technology, Wei Lumian also wrote a book, "Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Art".

"The reason why bamboo is the image of a gentleman in traditional Chinese culture is precisely because of its knotted shape, and its shape derives excellent characters such as 'high wind and bright festival', 'upright and straight', and these excellent characters contribute to the formation of the spiritual endowment of the Chinese nation Made a unique contribution." Wei Lumian told reporters about his understanding of bamboo culture.

　　In 2015, with the support of the government, Wei Lumian built the Xiaoyu Bamboo Art Institute in a bamboo forest in Taojiang County, Yiyang City, where he lived, worked, taught and demonstrated.

　　In order to inherit Xiaoyu Bamboo Art, Wei Lumian tried to combine Xiaoyu Bamboo Art with Bamboo Culture, and developed a Bamboo Culture Research and Experience Project.

Wei Lumian said that we have cooperated with some primary and secondary schools to set up "Xiaoyu Bamboo Art Work Class", and regularly come to the school to give students handicraft classes.

In addition, it also cooperates with colleges and universities in Hunan Province to establish a bamboo art training and training base for college students.

"Intangible cultural heritage" Xiaoyu bamboo art into the classroom.

(Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

　　Wei Lumian said frankly that this "intangible cultural heritage" craft is also facing the problem of inheritance.

"There are fewer and fewer young people willing to learn this craft. The production cost of Xiaoyu Bamboo Art is high and the benefits are not very good. Some people just look at it and leave, it's too tired!" Wei Lumian introduced that he has also passed the apprenticeship at present. Some relationships in the society introduce people to come, and they have to pay salaries.

　　"I don't regret it when the belt gradually widens. It makes people haggard for Yixing." Wei Lumian quoted ancient poems and said, I have been practicing Xiaoyu Bamboo Art for nearly 30 years. It used to be a hobby, but now it is a responsibility for me and mission.

(Finish)