Thisheart-touchingbookdocumentsthedailylifeofcontemporaryChinesevillagecraftspeople.Afragmentofadecorativewoodcarving.Theornamentalvasescreatedbyruralcarpenterswereallassembledfromsmallerparts.
ShadowpuppetryisaformoftraditionalartinChina.
LongzhongliterallyreferstothecentralregionofChina’sGansuProvince.Atanaltituderangingfrom1,200to2,500meters,itslandformisatypicalLoessPlateau.TheregionishometoanearlyChinesecultureknownasMajiayao(literally,“horsehomekiln”),whichoriginatedthere4,000to5,000yearsago.
AsajunctionbetweenfarmingandnomadiccivilizationsandavitalnodealongtheSilkRoad,theLongzhongregionhasbeenrichlyendowedwithculturalrelicsandvariousfolkcrafts.
Overthepastfewyears,YanHaijun,aChinesecontemporarynon-fictionwriter,hasbeeninvestigatingthestateoftheartsandcraftsinruralGansu.Heinterviewedmorethan200craftsmenandselected25craftsincludingstrawplaiting,embroidery,paper-cutting,masonry,blacksmithing,shadowplay,carpentryandsuona(awoodwindinstrument)playing,insearchofstoriesforthisbook.
YandeclaredthatthesecraftsareindispensableintermsoftheproductionanddailylifeofthelocalpeopleinLongzhong.Somearerelatedtodailypublicneedswhileothersconcernritualsandspiritualbeliefs.
Heexplainedthatthereweretwomajorcriteriaforselectingthesecrafts:First,helookedforcraftsmenwhowereordinaryfarmersdoingexquisiteworkmanship,andsecond,hewantedtofindcraftspeopleservingordinaryfarmers.
“Everyonedeservesabiography,”Yanasserted.“Thisbookisnotonlyaboutcraftsmanship,butalsothelifestoriesofcraftsmen.Itisabouttherelationshipbetweenindividualcraftsmenandsocietyandaboutthesocialconnectionbetweenthemandtheirclientsaswellasthesocialstructureembodiedintheseties.”
WorkersatahookahtobaccoworkshopinLanzhou,capitalofnorthwesternChina’sGansuProvince.
Aretiredfeltingartisan(left)showsabigbowusedtoflufffleece.Nowinhis90sandenjoyinghisretirement,hehasleftthebigbowsittingdormantformorethan30years.
ArtistLiuShengyudemonstratesuniquepaper-cutartofTongweiCounty,GansuProvince.
ShadowpuppetartistYangYongzhongperformsaplay.“Sincetheturnofthe21stcentury,ChinahasbeenenthusiasticabouttellingtheworldthestoriesofChinesefarmers,andYanHaijunisoneofsuchstorytellers,”notedQiaoXiaoguang,aprofessoranddoctoraltutorattheCentralAcademyofFineArts.“Thebooktouchesheartsbyprovidingarecordofthedailylifeoftoday’sChinesevillagecraftsmen.”
FamousChinesecontemporarywriterHanShaogongcommented:“Everyoccupationhasitswits,whichcouldbeknowledge,aesthetics,andcivilization.Theauthorseesthepersonthroughtheworksandreadshisorhermindthroughthepersonality.Hisexposureofthebillowycreativityembeddedinthesilentgrassrootsisamazingandinspiresgreatrespect—hehasbroughttolighttheabundanceandprofundityofthevastbaseofcivilization.”
BorninGansuProvince,YanHaijunhaslongworkedonsurveyingandresearchingChineseissuesrelatedtoagriculture,ruralareas,farmersandtheexcavationofindigenousculture.
Overthepastfewyears,YanhaspublishedbooksincludingChinainYabianandGuanqiangli:APerson’sJourneyfromVillagetoCity,someofwhichhavewonprovincialandnationalawards.