自然之上

北海工藝的揚名，既得益于豐富優(yōu)質(zhì)的天然資源，更得益于當?shù)厝藢Y源充滿敬畏與想象力的開發(fā)運用。

SOUTH PEARL

南珠：磨礪之美

FUTHER THAN NATURE

Such reputations are not only built on fine quality of the natural materials, but more importantly on the creative minds and innovative techniques the local artists carefully apply in respect of nature.

Text by Ge Rufeng&Brooke Yan Translations by Tao Wenjia&Yi Shan& Bianjiajin Photos by Zeng Jian & Yang Zaizi

NIHAO: What is the historical connection between the South Pearl and the Beihai?

Wang: China may be the first country to find and use pearls in the world, and Chinese pearls originated from Hepu in Beihai. The Hepu Port was also one of the earliest ports that was part of the ancient "Marine Silk Road". Pearls as a trading product of this silk road were sold to Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. The Beihai was once the trade centre of world's pearls.

NIHAO: what kind of environmental aspects contribute to the uniqueness of Beihai South Pearls?

Wang: The South Peal oysters belong to the Pinctada martensii. Beihai has a subtropical climate. Meanwhile, the Beibu Gulf waves are relatively small and the salinity of sea water is perfect for oysters. These natural conditions are very suitable for the growth of Pinctada martensii. In addition, I have to praise the bravery and smartness of the locals. The ancient pearling process was very dangerous. The locals almost exchanged their lives for pearls. They would go out with only a rope on their backs, and no other security measures to dive into the sea, facing the threats of drowning, typhoons and sharks at any time. Thanks to them, the pearl industry developed fast there.

Wang Shiquan ,the inheritor of South Pearl culture王世全 南珠文化傳承人

NIHAO ：南珠與北海有著怎樣的淵源？

王世全：中國可能是世界上發(fā)現(xiàn)、利用珍珠最早的國家，而中國珍珠發(fā)源地又在北海合浦。秦朝時，南珠就已經(jīng)是貢品。合浦港是海上絲綢之路最早的始發(fā)港之一，珍珠作為海絲通商貨物從合浦港遠銷東南亞、南亞、非洲等國家。北海在當時可以說是世界珍珠貿(mào)易的中心。

NIHAO ：什么樣的條件成就了北海南珠？

王世全：北海屬于亞熱帶氣候，北部灣風浪小，海水的鹽度適中，這一系列自然條件適宜馬氏珠母貝的生長。另外，古代采珠非常危險，采珠人背上拴條繩就潛入海底，隨時面臨窒息、鯊魚、臺風的威脅。北海的原住居民聰明與勇敢，水性非常好，采珠業(yè)得以迅速在當?shù)匕l(fā)展起來。

NIHAO ：南珠為北海帶來了什么樣的文化？

王世全：就像南珠的形成，有包容，有磨礪，這是珍珠的精神，也是北海的精神。

SHELL CARVING PICTURE

貝雕：海底的財富

NIHAO: What kind of role do the shell carving pictures play in Beihai people's life?

Lin Xiong: Located beside Beibu Gulf, Beihai has a rich supply of maritime resources. The seashells you can find there have incredible colours. In their early history, Beihai people threaded the shells together as decoration, which was considered to give protection from evil spirits. The shells also served as the currency widely used along the ancient maritime Silk Road in countries including Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Later during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Beihai people started to turn the shells into birds and flowers, and imbed them in their furniture. Besides that they later invented a kind of picture made of shells which symboliseed good luck and fortune. The pictures at that time were often used as gifts for weddings and moving into a new house.

NIHAO: Can you introduce to our readers the practice of carving shells?

Lin Xiong: After cutting and burnishing, the artists will stick the processed shells and sea conches onto the surface. It is an art form which uses the cubist vision and the aesthetic sense of Chinese painting that emphasises emptiness. The magic part is that all the colours on the picture are the natural colours of the shells and conches. Therefore the abundance of shells and conches are important for creating this kind of art. Hence, many people take them as gifts for foreign friends and important guests.

NIHAO ：貝殼在北海扮演著什么角色？

林雄：北海地處北部灣畔，海洋資源豐富，出產(chǎn)的貝殼種類繁多，五顏六色。貝殼還曾經(jīng)作為貨幣在社會上流通，在海上絲綢之路與越南、老撾、泰國的貿(mào)易往來也有使用。明清時期，北海當?shù)厝藢⒇悮ぜ庸こ筛鞣N花鳥式樣，將其鑲嵌在家具中做裝飾。后來當?shù)厝擞职沿悮ぷ龀韶惖癞嫞瑔踢w新居、迎新嫁娶都少不了一幅象征吉祥富貴的貝雕畫。

NIHAO ：北海貝雕畫是怎樣的藝術表現(xiàn)形式？

林雄：北海貝雕畫是以貝殼、海螺為原料，經(jīng)雕磨、堆貼等工序制成工藝美術品，有較強的立體感。貝雕畫主要采用國畫的創(chuàng)作技巧，就講留白。更重要的是，一幅五顏六色的貝雕畫沒有用任何的顏料，都是充分利用貝殼天然的顏色拼接制成。所以說，是當?shù)刎S富的貝殼、海螺資源成就了貝雕和貝雕畫。很多人將北海貝雕當作“國禮”送給外賓和港臺同胞。

Lin Xiong,Province lever master林雄，廣西壯族自治區(qū)工藝美術大師，“北海貝雕”非遺申辦人

HORN SCULPTURE

角雕：角尖上的海

NIHAO ： What kind of cultural and historical features of the people in Beihai are expressed in horn sculptures?

Bai:The practice of horn sculptures has a profound history. In the Palaeolithic Period, people used the horns of animals to make hunting tools; in the Neolithic Age, after being polished, horns were made into earrings, combs, knives and so on. After the Han Dynasty, rhinoceros horn came into China through the Maritime Silk Road for use in the royal courts. Basically, the skills involved in ancient horn sculptures were part of the daily necessities to survive and used to make pipes, drinking vessels, combs etc. Besides the traditional lucky animals and beasts such as the dragon and phoenix, the themes of many sculptures also included fishes, shrimps and ocean waves, which were the local cultural representatives in Beihai. Moreover, some of the horn sculptures were made of buffalo horns, because buffalo horn was believed to counteract evil forces and to keep people safe.

NIHAO ： What kind of patterns of expression does the horn sculpture have?

Bai:The local horns are of jade-like colour and ductile nature. After being processed, they can be as fine as hair and as thin as a cicada's wing, which largely improves the further processing of horn sculpture and make them possess the similar mild and gentle nature of jade, and also, the fineness and precision of ivory sculptures.

Bai Yaohua, the inheritor of Hepu Horn Sculpture白耀華，非遺文化“合浦角雕”傳承人

NIHAO ：角雕凝聚著北海什么樣的歷史文化內(nèi)涵？

白耀華：角雕在中國有著悠久歷史。舊石器時代，人們用獸角制作工具狩獵，到了新石器時代，又經(jīng)過打磨，制成耳墜、梳子、匕首等器具。漢以后，犀牛角經(jīng)海上絲綢之路傳入中國，供宮廷使用。總體而言，古代角雕技藝主要用于日用品的制作，如煙斗、酒杯、梳子等。題材除了龍鳳等傳統(tǒng)瑞獸，還有魚、蝦、海浪，這些正是北海當?shù)睾Ｑ笪幕拇?。另外，北海角雕多用水牛角，當?shù)厝讼嘈?，牛角有辟邪?zhèn)災的作用。

NIHAO ：北海（合浦）角雕多用什么樣的表現(xiàn)形式？

白耀華：當?shù)厮＝巧珴扇缬?，有韌性。經(jīng)加工可做到細如發(fā)絲、薄若蟬翼，這就給了角雕極大的發(fā)揮空間，使其既有玉雕的溫潤通透，又有牙雕的精雕細琢。制作時，我們會充分根據(jù)牛角的色澤、紋理、形狀，因材施藝，運用寫實的表現(xiàn)手法，以及圓雕、浮雕、鏤空等傳統(tǒng)雕刻技法，使作品有很強的立體感和感染力。比如說一只蝦，你甚至看得到它的腸胃。