(New Year walks to the grassroots) Xinjiang "leather saddle" intangible heritage inheritors are busy in the New Year
China News Service, Urumqi, February 4th (Tao Shuanke) The yard of Ding, the intangible heritage inheritor of Xinjiang's "leather saddle", is extremely lively, grinding, riveting, embroidery, inlaying, and workers working overtime to complete orders for the Spring Festival.
On the 3rd, the reporter walked into the family workshop of the handmade "leather saddle" intangible cultural heritage inheritor Ding student in Taiping Village, Quanzi Street Town, Jimsar County, Xinjiang, and saw a pair of well-made saddles and various exquisite accessories hanging on the wall of the exhibition hall superior.
"From the Spring Festival to the present, we have hardly had a break, and we have been working every day. There are more orders for the Spring Festival, and there are more than 60 sets. At present, only more than 30 sets have been completed, and half of them have not been completed. We have been working overtime these days. Express it as soon as possible," said Student Ding.
Three years ago, both Student Ding and his wife signed up for new media, often broadcasting the process live, attracting a large number of fans. Tens of thousands of people watched their videos. The sales of Student Ding’s ancestral “leather saddle” gradually increased on the short video platform.
Ding Xuesheng is both a craftsman and an artisan. He is the third-generation successor of "leather saddle".
"As the saying goes, a man depends on his clothes and a horse depends on his saddle. I think a saddle should make the horse comfortable, make the rider comfortable, and look good."
Over the years, Mr. Ding has continued to study the comfort and safety of "leather saddles", and his saddle making skills have become more and more exquisite.
"In order to make the saddle better, I raise horses, ride horses, and make saddles suitable for all kinds of horses. Originally, the rustic horses in the countryside had narrow backs, but now the improved horses have wide backs. The frame of the horse is different, and the specifications of the saddle are also different." Ding said.
The production process of "leather saddle" is complex and demanding. It is composed of saddle frame and leather goods, and is made by engraving and inlaying.
To make a good saddle, there are quite strict requirements from the selection of materials, which need to be jointly produced by carpenters, cobblers, blacksmiths, and embroidery workers.
Ding Xuesheng told reporters that before the short video live broadcast was opened, the products could not sell a few sets a year. Since 2019, the sales of saddles have been getting better year by year, and many products are customized by customers.
Nowadays, relying on the Internet, the business of "leather saddles" is getting more and more popular. The products are not only sold to various states in Xinjiang, but also exported to Beijing, Hebei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and other provinces and cities.
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