Gu'an Liubian has faded out of sight

Flower baskets, shallows, and cymbals... A piece of seemingly inconspicuous but hand-woven small object gives people a sense of exquisiteness: the hollow part at the bottom, with a large and neat distribution; , showing different patterns; on both sides of the top there are easy to carry handles. These kinds of handicrafts with a wide variety of products, fine workmanship, and beautiful patterns are the Gu'an Liubian that was included in the national intangible cultural heritage this year.

More than 40 years willow craftsmen show Liubian skills Langfang City, Gu'an County is known as "home of willow" in the world. Liubian is a local traditional arts and crafts technique. As early as the Ming Dynasty Yongle, local farmers started the cultivation of tamarix and the weaving of liu instruments. So far, there are more than 500 years of history.

Liu Chengwen, a native farmer, is a man from Liangjiazhuang Village, Gu'an Town, Gu'an County. This year, 67 years old, he began to compose wickerwork products in the 1970s and the production team. "At that time, there were no other sideline jobs in the production team. We had more raw materials for the production of willow weaving here, and we already had this kind of technology. Some people would edit it, so 80% of the people were not busy. All of them were written in Liubian.” Liu Chengwen began to work with everyone in the early twenties. He has been working for more than forty years now. For those who are familiar with Liubian’s skills, he will produce more than 100 kinds of willow products. . "When you first started compiling Liubian, you wouldn't be able to do anything. Then you watched the finished products of the people's homework learn little by little, and then took a look at what they were doing in the editing process. They learned slowly."

Speaking, Liu Chengwen showed reporters some of the processes of Liubian. "We are all first to buy from the collection to compile the Willow and Wicker used for weaving, and then go home and start to soak the willow with clear water. Generally the Daliu needs to be soaked for one day, and the wicker will need to be soaked for a long time. Soaking up the willow will make it possible to save the willow. "" Then, Liu Chengwen took up a wooden tool, like a wine cork, put it gently to the top of the willow, Liu will become a uniform three. Since the willows are not very flat, they also need to be flattened with a press machine that is specially used to press the willows. “The previous presses were manual, and they were more troublesome. Now all of them are changed to electricity. They are very fast and they are much more pressing.”

After finishing pressing Liu, we began formal preparation of wickerwork products. In Liu Chengwen's place where he compiled a canary, there was a large pot of water next to him. “After editing and writing on the willow, in order to maintain its softness, you have to drench water at any time,” Liu Chengwen said. At the end of the string, the bottom, the cut stem, the upper cavity, the closing mouth and the inserting handle, such a wickerwork product is completed. Master Liu said: “If you concentrate on editing, you can make one out of an hour, but it is more costly and one day. It's a series of six flower baskets."

Affected by the impact of Liubian, the “hometown of willow weaving” is undergoing a transition. Gu'an Liubian is a precious non-material culture, but the current state of development is that there are not many people engaged in Liubian, and this technology has gradually withdrawn from sight. The reason is mainly because the working hours are too long and they earn too little.

“You are in our house. Although children will be weavers, they have not done any work in this area. They do not make any money at all, and they can't support their family members.” Liu Chengwen said: “Moreover, it takes a long time. The pressure on Liu Yanzi can only be squeezed out a lot at a time. If it is under pressure now, then I don't know when it will be done."

According to the person in charge of the export of Hongsi Station in Gu'an County, Gu'an Liubian was the most prosperous time in the 1980s and 1990s. At that time, there were not only many people who were engaged in Liubian in Gu'an, but also many places such as Shandong and Henan. Basically, the whole village is composed of wickerwork products. At that time, weaving products were basically exported to foreign countries, such as the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and other countries, especially the United States, 80% to 90% are exported to the United States. It is conservatively estimated that at that time, the entire Gu'an County would rely on exporting Liubian products and could earn 78 million yuan a year. However, since the beginning of the US financial crisis in 2009, Liubian has gradually begun to decline. “Because we mainly rely on exports to make money, the largest order holder in the United States has no orders at all, and it becomes more and more unacceptable. Moreover, Liubian does have a long working time and does not earn much. In the flourishing period, the largest single day Eight yuan, almost a year more than 10,000 yuan a year, much more than to go to work. But to this day, still earning so much, it is equivalent to not making money, and certainly fewer people will be engaged in Liubian." The original person in charge Introduction said.