China News Service, Guizhou Tongzi, October 7th: "Post-80s" craftsman Yao Debo: Let Tongzi Nishao "live"
Reporter Qu Honglun
Kneading, whistling, trimming... After Yao Debo's kneading in less than 10 minutes, a half-finished mud whistle in the shape of a lifelike tiger is displayed in front of you.
On the 7th, in a workshop in Tongzi Memory Commercial Street, Tongzi County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, Yao Debo, a 34-year-old inheritor of Tongzi mud whistle making skills of Tongzi County's intangible cultural heritage, was carefully making mud whistle of the "Zodiac" series. work.
The tiger-shaped "Tongzi Mud Whistle" made by Yao Debo.
Photo by Qu Honglun
As the first-generation descendant of Tongzi Mud Whistle, Yao Debo is determined to "play" the mud in his hands.
In his workshop, there are different types and colors of mud whistle, there are twelve zodiac signs, staff fighting against the new crown pneumonia epidemic...
According to the "Tongzi County Chronicle", the Tongzi mud whistle first appeared in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of nearly 300 years.
"Although Tongzi Nishao has a long history, its development is relatively late, and it only began to rise in the 1980s." Yao Debo told a reporter from Chinanews.com.
Tongzi mud whistle is a popular folk toy in the northern area of Guizhou. It needs to go through more than 10 processes such as soil selection, mud kneading, kneading, opening whistle, trimming, firing, and painting.
The minimum size of the finished mud whistle is about 5 cm, and a crisp sound can be blown through the blowing hole and the air return hole.
Yao Debo, a fine arts graduate, has been engaged in ceramics-related work until 2018, and has worked hard in Hunan, Beijing and other places.
After returning to Tongzi after his wandering life, he has been looking for projects that he likes and thinks meaningful.
"In the Spring Festival of 2019, I met Ji Jianqiang, the inheritor, at an intangible cultural heritage exhibition. At the same time, I also re-contacted the familiar and unfamiliar Tongzi mud whistle." Yao Debo said, at this exhibition, I heard Mr. Ji Jianqiang say a lot about Tongzi mud whistle. story, and became very interested in it.
"The Mud Whistle may be the project I've been looking for."
Yao Debo said that in April 2019, he began to follow Mr. Ji Jianqiang to learn the production of Tongzi mud whistle. Under Ji Jianqiang's words and deeds, he systematically mastered the production skills of Tongzi mud whistle in less than 2 months.
Yao Debo is testing the opening of the "Tongzi Mud Whistle".
Photo by Qu Honglun
"The traditional production techniques and shapes are single, and the firing temperature is not brittle and easy to fade." Yao Debo said that on the basis of mastering the production skills, he continued to research and innovate production methods, and innovate, such as the subject matter, not only Including the traditional theme "Chinese Zodiac", as well as various characters, animals and plants, etc., with the development of the times, cultural and creative products such as refrigerator magnets and car accessories have also been derived.
Today's Tongzi mud whistle has more colors and varieties, better firing effect, not easy to damage, and durable.
"I also developed a multi-hole and multi-tone mud whistle, which is more rhythmic than the single-tone and single-hole mud whistle, so that the mud whistle has more 'fans'." Yao Debo said proudly.
Yao Debo used live broadcast to show netizens the production skills of "Tongzi Mud Whistle".
Photo by Qu Honglun
Yao Debo's Tongzi Mud Whistle often appears in related exhibitions and cultural activities. Because of its cute image and clear whistle, it attracts many visitors to watch and experience it.
The popularity and love of Tongzi Nishao by more and more people also made Yao Debo well aware of the unique charm of this intangible cultural heritage, and also aroused his determination to "let more people know about this intangible cultural heritage and pass it on well" ."
To this day, Yao Debo is still constantly researching production techniques and innovative promotion methods. He will explain the production process and playing methods of Tongzi mud whistle to netizens through live broadcast, and he will also go to several schools in Tongzi County at a fixed time. To explain and teach the craftsmanship to the students.
"Tongzi Mud Whistle" made by Yao Debo.
Photo by Qu Honglun
Yao Debo said that the love and enthusiasm of netizens and students for Tongzi Nishao made him see the hope of this non-genetic inheritance and development.
"Many people who watched and live broadcast privately messaged me to express their desire to learn production skills. Although he could not do this work, more people became interested in it, and the intangible cultural heritage culture was 'blown' into their In my heart, I think this is the best inheritance." (End)