By Xu Kuang

The Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage Generates Craftsman Genes

By Xu Kuang

W est Street deserves to be called the oldest business street in Hanyang District, Wuhan. It starts at the Guiyuan Temple on the left and ends at North Town Road on the right. “In the past, people in Hanyang would buy anything in West Street,even for a small button.” For the old generation,you can’t say that you visited Hanyang if you hadn’t been to West Street.

When exiting out of the Zhongjiacun Metro,you will see West Street overline bridge on the left. Walking inside the alley, there are eyecatching graffiti on the wall of the buildings, and rows of grocery stores where you can buy all kinds of daily necessities where you can strongly be immersed in the charming alley life there.

Half way into West Street stands a Copper Crafting Shop where the signboard of “Zeng’s Copper Shop” is yellowed with age. Quite different from the noisy and busy shops in the neighborhood, Master Zeng Xiangao, an 82-year-old man, is the only person working in the shop. He is polishing a 20-cm brass gourd with a small iron hammer.

A Young Apprenticeship

Mr. Zeng Xiangao, a cultural heritage inheritor in Wuhan, is a fourth-generation coppersmith.He started to learn the art of copper work from his father when he was 13 years old. They owned a copper ware shop on Hualou Street and then moved to Huangbei Street in Hankou. In those days, copperware was a necessity for every family—everyone had a brass kettle, bowl, and pan.

His father was very strict and had a bad temper. Being scolded and beaten was frequent for Zeng as he learned the art from his father. But it seemed that he was born to be a coppersmith. He was stubborn, patient, nimble, and smart.

西大街算得上是漢陽(yáng)最早的商業(yè)街，左起歸元寺，右接北城路?！爱?dāng)時(shí)年漢陽(yáng)人要買顆扣子，都要到西大街來(lái)買?！痹诶陷吶搜劾?，逛了西大街才算來(lái)過(guò)漢陽(yáng)。

從鐘家村地鐵口出來(lái)，左望便是西大街天橋。走進(jìn)西大街的小巷，圍墻上的各式涂鴉奪人眼球；雜貨店鋪一家挨著一家，針頭線腦都能買到，市井生活氣息撲面而來(lái)。

西大街走到一半，便能看見(jiàn)一家銅藝店，“曾氏銅藝”的招牌已經(jīng)發(fā)黃，與其他門前嘈雜的小商鋪截然不同，店內(nèi)只有82歲的曾憲高師傅一人，他拿著小鐵錘打磨著一個(gè)高約20厘米的銅葫蘆。

少年學(xué)藝底色

武漢非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)傳人曾憲高，是曾氏銅藝第四代傳人。他13歲學(xué)藝，跟隨父親先后在漢口花樓街、黃陂街一帶開(kāi)設(shè)銅器店鋪。那個(gè)年代，家家戶戶離不開(kāi)銅制品，銅壺、銅碗、銅鍋家家都有。

父親很嚴(yán)厲，而且脾氣暴躁。曾憲高小時(shí)候跟隨父親學(xué)藝，沒(méi)少挨打。像是天生就吃這碗飯的，他有一股倔勁兒，熬得住，而且心思敏捷、頭腦靈活。

有一次，父親交待他做一個(gè)小銅藝，回來(lái)檢查，認(rèn)為他功夫不到位，氣得把東西全部扔了出去。曾憲高撿回工具，默默重新開(kāi)工。

學(xué)藝中的這些小事數(shù)不勝數(shù)，現(xiàn)在講起來(lái)，曾憲高不禁感慨萬(wàn)千?！坝矛F(xiàn)在的話說(shuō)，這就是工匠精神，這門手藝，沒(méi)有十年八年學(xué)不出來(lái)?！?/p>

過(guò)去，人們買的東西都講究實(shí)用和耐用，對(duì)造型倒沒(méi)有多看重。曾憲高跟父親學(xué)著打造很多實(shí)用的器件，鍋、壺、瓢、盤等，都是那個(gè)年月家家戶戶必備的生活用品。曾憲高記得自己做過(guò)一個(gè)鍋底，換來(lái)兩斤大米，高興得不得了。

“過(guò)去，做得比較多的，一般是日常使用的生活用品，純粹吃手藝飯，手工自然沒(méi)話說(shuō)。也有人專門找過(guò)來(lái)，定制藝術(shù)品，需要精心打磨?！?/p>

曾師傅說(shuō)，老式火鍋很常見(jiàn)，其工藝相對(duì)復(fù)雜，看著容易做起來(lái)難?；疱伒男螤钌舷逻B通，下面是炭室，上面是器皿，中間由一根煙囪狀的管狀物連通，底下可點(diǎn)火。小店的櫥柜中還存有這樣一個(gè)火鍋，許久不曾使用，外表斑駁，落滿灰塵，依稀能看出歲月的痕跡。

簡(jiǎn)單處見(jiàn)心思

曾憲高16歲出師，手藝日漸精湛。

20歲時(shí)，他到漢陽(yáng)汽車改裝廠做鈑件工，廠里按評(píng)級(jí)來(lái)發(fā)工資，他被評(píng)為6級(jí)，月工資60元，而同期剛進(jìn)廠的學(xué)徒工只有8元錢工資。

工作之余，曾憲高會(huì)做些小物件把玩。

1986年，他從廠里退休，搬到漢陽(yáng)。他決定重拾手藝，在家門口擺攤，掛上“曾氏銅藝”的招牌。街坊鄰居把破損的鍋碗瓢盆都拿到曾老這里修補(bǔ)，顧客絡(luò)繹不絕。

One day, Zeng’s father asked him to make a brass product. When checking it, his father thought that he didn’t get the essence of the work and threw his creations out of the room. Zeng just picked them up quietly and remade it patiently.

There were myriad trivialities like this in his apprenticeship. When recalling the past, Zeng said that, “This is the “spirit of craftsmanship” in modern terms. It is impossible for you to master the skill without eight or ten years’s practice.”

In those days, people valued quality and durability more than the shape and design when buying things.Zeng learned to make a lot of practical utensils from his father, such as pans, kettles, scoops, plates, and other household necessities. Zeng said he once made a pot base for which he exchanged 1kg of rice. He was very happy about it.

“I used to make articles for daily use.Craftsmanship is the most important thing for a product and my work is quite good. Some people came for artistic handicrafts which require meticulous polishing.”

Master Zeng said that the traditional hot pot was a common utensil, but it was actually very difficult to make because of the complicated craftsmanship involved.The traditional hot pot is made of a coal chamber at the bottom and a utensil on the top, which are connected by a chimney-shaped tube. The fire can be started at the bottom. Now a hot pot, lying silently in the corner of the closet, seems like faint remembrance of a distant time. For not being used for a long time, it is mottled and covered by dust.

Simple but Exquisite

Zeng served out his apprenticeship at the age of 16,and his skills were getting more and more refined.

At 20, he worked as a sheet metal worker in Hanyang Automobile Modification Factory where salary was decided by rank. He was ranked 6 and earned RMB 60 yuan per month, while his fellow workers only got 8 yuan.

Zeng liked to make some small items to amuse himself in his spare time.

In 1986, he retired from the factory and moved to Hanyang. He decided to restart the family business and opened “Zeng’s Copper Shop.” Knowing it,the neighbors at times took their broken kitchen utensils to his shop for mending and his business was gradually thriving.

“Do you think it’s easy to make this gourd? It’s rare to see a gourd made of a whole piece of copper.”Master Zeng held a brass gourd in his hand and said,“The simpler it looks, the more work it requires.” He summed up his experience of making this almostfinished brass gourd, which took him more than one month, “It is believed that gourds bring safety. A lot of families liked to buy gourd-shaped handicrafts in the past, but every line of the gourd tests the craftsman’s technique and skill. It’s even more difficult to make a brass gourd.”

When entering into Zeng’s shop, the first thing you will see is an eye-catching brass “Yellow Crane Tower.” Master Zeng said that it is made of 6.25kg of brass and is a miniature of the real Yellow Crane Tower, which is 100 times larger. With a delicate and exquisite design, there are 12 flying eaves on each floor and a plum-shaped button on each door. All the doors can be opened. It’s a masterpiece for Zeng. He cleans it every day so that every windowsill glistens.

“你說(shuō)做這個(gè)葫蘆簡(jiǎn)不簡(jiǎn)單？整銅打造的葫蘆很少見(jiàn)?！痹鴰煾的弥稚系你~葫蘆說(shuō)，“越是看上去簡(jiǎn)單的東西，越得多花心思。”他對(duì)于手中耗時(shí)一個(gè)多月、即將完工的銅葫蘆頗有心得，“在民間，葫蘆有保平安的寓意，過(guò)去很多人家喜歡買些葫蘆造型的擺件，不過(guò)葫蘆的線條很是考驗(yàn)手藝，特別是銅制的，更難?！?/p>

來(lái)到曾師傅的店鋪，進(jìn)門就能看見(jiàn)的一個(gè)銅制“黃鶴樓”，很吸引眼球。曾師傅介紹，這座黃鶴樓用了6.25公斤的黃銅，按照黃鶴樓實(shí)物縮小100倍。每層12個(gè)飛檐翼角，梅花門按鈕，每層樓的門都可以打開(kāi)，精巧細(xì)致。這是老人的得意之作，他每天都會(huì)仔細(xì)擦拭，黃鶴樓的每個(gè)窗沿都亮亮的。

這件作品在2012年舉辦的湖北省非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)保護(hù)專題中，榮獲藝術(shù)設(shè)計(jì)比賽優(yōu)秀獎(jiǎng)，“曾氏銅藝”也被列為武漢市非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)。

雖然街頭車來(lái)人往，曾師傅心靜如常，在8平方米的小天地里，與大錘、升錘、鐵角板和拐針等20多種工具作伴。老人的鐵砧子和鐵腳板很有些年月，“已經(jīng)傳了三代，這些家什，市面上是買不到的?！?/p>

靈動(dòng)的藝術(shù)品

曾師傅喜歡鉆研，總在琢磨多做些新鮮物件?！澳憧催@只蝦，像不像真的？”曾憲高頗為自得，“我盯一只活蝦一整天，裝進(jìn)心里才動(dòng)手，無(wú)模具全靠心，一個(gè)月敲錘焊接而成，你看這蝦鉗，這些小麻點(diǎn)都費(fèi)不少心思。”

“有一天在家午睡，我突然想到了藕，就跑到菜場(chǎng)觀察藕的形態(tài)，回家我就用泥巴捏了個(gè)藕，街坊看后還開(kāi)玩笑說(shuō)，要拿回家炒了吃。”曾老笑著說(shuō)。逼真的蓮藕激發(fā)曾師傅的創(chuàng)意，他準(zhǔn)備銅材料制作蓮藕、蓮蓬、蓮花，覺(jué)得還有些單調(diào)，又制作了魚和蜻蜓，整個(gè)作品全靠錘子把銅皮敲成各種弧度，耗時(shí)大半年的“荷塘秋色”就這樣誕生。

十幾年來(lái)，房間內(nèi)慢慢擺滿各種精致的銅藝品，有黃鶴樓、龍蝦、金龍魚、長(zhǎng)嘴壺、酒壺等等。有人慕名前來(lái)高價(jià)購(gòu)買，有人帶著自家的銅制品前來(lái)讓他烙上精致的圖案。曾師傅說(shuō)：“我好勝心強(qiáng)，基本沒(méi)有我做不出來(lái)的樣式。累點(diǎn)無(wú)所謂，客人對(duì)我作品的肯定，最讓我感動(dòng)、高興。”

一件銅制品從選材到剪裁，經(jīng)過(guò)不斷敲敲打打，直至完成整個(gè)作品需要幾個(gè)月甚至一年，費(fèi)時(shí)又費(fèi)力，長(zhǎng)期手持鉗子錘子做活，他的右手中指彎曲變形，從而練就精湛的手藝。

曾師傅的聲名遠(yuǎn)播，2015年6月，有心人把曾憲高做的銅藝品拍攝記錄成冊(cè)，捐給俄聯(lián)邦莫爾多瓦國(guó)立普希金圖書館。但是，他說(shuō)：“現(xiàn)在做活多少有些力不從心，活計(jì)沒(méi)有以前多，三個(gè)月前，有人遠(yuǎn)道過(guò)來(lái)，花500元讓我給紫砂壺配一個(gè)蓋子?！?/p>

說(shuō)到高興處，他拿出一把銅制二胡，它是曾師傅花3個(gè)月手工打造，淬火，鍛造，都在店里完成。曾憲高當(dāng)場(chǎng)拉了一曲，音色依然醇厚，引得街坊和過(guò)往的人過(guò)來(lái)圍觀?！斑@樣的二胡全武漢很難找出第二把，上萬(wàn)塊我都舍不得賣，我要自己留著。” ◆

靈心勝造物，妙手奪天工。傳統(tǒng)手工藝，有代代相傳的歷史。

在機(jī)械化的沖擊下，純手工打造銅器的人越來(lái)越少。如今這門手藝很可能面臨失傳，曾老不免時(shí)常感慨：“我不知道還有多少時(shí)間能創(chuàng)作，我現(xiàn)在最大的心愿是有人能傳承我的手藝，把銅藝發(fā)揚(yáng)光大。只要有人愿意學(xué)，我愿意毫無(wú)保留免費(fèi)教學(xué)?！?/p>

This handicraft won an Excellence Award in the Art Design Contest during the Cultural Heritage Protection Program held in Hubei Province in 2012.Zeng’s Copper Craftsmanship is listed as an intangible cultural heritage in Wuhan.

No matter how bustling the street is, Master Zeng is fully immersed in his world. In this eight square-meter shop,hammers, iron soles, needles, and other tools are his best companions. The anvil and iron sole has been used for a long time, “It has been handed down for three generations. You can’t buy these things in the market now.”

Inspirational Artwork

Master Zeng likes to learn and experiment on new things. “Look at this shrimp! Does it look like a real one?” Zeng was very satisfied about his work,“I observed a living shrimp for a whole day and started to make it when it was alive in my heart.I made it by heart instead of by mold. I spent one month striking, blowing, and welding the copper.You see the claw. It took me a lot of time to make the pock marks on it.”

“One day when I was taking a nap at home,I suddenly thought about lotus root. I ran to the market and observed the shape of lotus root, and made one with clay. Neighbors joked that it looked so real that they wanted to eat it.” Zeng laughed. The vivid lotus root inspired Zeng to make more copper artwork,such as lotus root, lotus seedpods, and lotus. He even made copper fish and dragonflies. All the works were done on a piece of copper sheet by hammering. That’s how the Autumn View of Lotus Pond came, which took him more than half a year.

In the past decade, the room has been gradually filled with different kinds of delicate copper artwork, including the Yellow Crane Tower,shrimp, arowana, long spout teapots, wine pots, and others. Some people came to purchase his work at a high price because of his fame, while others brought their own copper ware for him to inscribe beautiful patterns upon. Master Zeng said, “I am very ambitious. I can make almost any pattern. Getting tired is nothing for me. What makes me happy and proud is the recognition from my customers.”It takes several months or even one year to finish artwork, from choosing the raw material to the design and process. It’s a toiling job. Zeng’s right middle finger has become crooked from the repeated use of his pincer and hammer. This is how he has mastered the technique.

Zeng’s fame has also spread abroad. In June of 2015, an album of Zeng’s copper artwork was made and donated to Mordovia State Pushkin Library of Russian Federation. However, he said, “I am not as energetic as before and my output has reduced a lot. Three months ago, someone came for me to make a cover for his darkred enameled pottery with 500 yuan.”

He got excited as he took out a brass erhu, a two-stringed bowed musical instrument. It took him three months to weld, quench, and forge in the shop. He played one song with the erhu whose low tone attracted many neighbors. “You can't find another erhu like this in Wuhan. I would not sell it even if you gave me ten thousand yuan. I will keep it.” ◆

Zeng, with his creativity and craftsmanship, has been making exquisite artworks rivaling nature. However, no matter how excellent his craftsmanship is, it needs to be handed down from one generation to another.

Fewer and fewer people choose to be a coppersmith in this age of mechanical revolution.Whenever thinking that there may be no successor for this craft, Zeng would lament, “I don’t know how long I can keep making new creations, but my greatest wish is that someone can inherit my craftsmanship and further develop copper art. As long as they want to learn, I will teach them everything I know for free.”

非遺傳人演繹工匠精神

文/許曠