Chinanews.com, Sinan, Guizhou, January 1 (Sun Lei, Yang Tingxue, Huang Yiwen) In the lunar month, in Qiangang Community, Xujiaba Town, Sinan County, Guizhou Province, 16-year-old folk craftsman Liu Yisong and his wife are busy making dragon lantern heads. "The dragon head is the most complex part of the whole dragon, and it takes two or three days to compile the frame, more than a day to paste paper, and two days to draw. Liu Yisong introduced while making adjustments to the dragon lamp head.
Every year on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Xujiaba Town, Sinan County, Guizhou Province holds an annual "fried dragon" activity. "Fried Dragon" is inseparable from the dragon lantern, and the closer to the Spring Festival, the busier the dragon lantern producers are. The production of the lantern has to go through 50 processes such as design, breaking, shaping, piercing the skeleton, pasting paper, drawing, coloring, etc., which has higher requirements for the artistic quality and production skills of the lantern makers, and Liu Yisong has been tied for nearly <> years.
Folk craftsman Liu Yisong is busy making dragon lantern heads. Photo by Yang Tingxue
Folk craftsman Liu Yisong is breaking the fence. Photo by Yang Tingxue
Liu Yisong said that every year in the second month of the lunar calendar, he and his wife began to use bamboo strips to weave dragon lanterns, and the raw materials are generally selected from local high-quality bamboo, and there are seven dragon lanterns, nine sections, and 70 sections. "We Xujiaba Town first month thirteenth to carry out the 'fried dragon' activity, each village must have a dragon lantern, this year is the year of the dragon, the current <> dragon lanterns have been preliminarily completed, will be displayed during the Spring Festival. ”
Folk craftsman Liu Yisong is in the head of the dragon lamp. Photo by Yang Tingxue
The wife of folk craftsman Liu Yisong helped to make dragon lantern heads together. Photo by Yang Tingxue
Folk craftsman Liu Yisong is busy making dragon lantern heads. Photo by Yang Tingxue
The Spring Festival dragon dance in Xujiaba Town is also known as the "fried dragon lantern", which is a unique annual custom of the town, and the most unique feature is that it is not afraid of "fried", the more "fried" the more lively, and the more "fried", the more auspicious. Therefore, the dragon lantern head in Xujiaba Town is relatively large in size, on the one hand, it is to show the majestic spirit of the entire dragon lantern, and on the other hand, it can be used to avoid sparks when "blowing up the dragon".
Folk craftsman Liu Yisong prepares to color. Photo by Yang Tingxue
Liu Yisong said: "In recent years, the government has attached great importance to the inheritance and development of the dragon lantern making technology, and at this stage it is working hard to declare intangible cultural heritage, which I think is a good thing. The young people in my family did not inherit my craft, but there were a few children who wanted to learn from me, so I planned to open a training class to teach it for free during the Chinese New Year, and do my best to pass on this craft. (ENDS)