Long-held Qianjiang Bamboo Crafts

Text by Gao Wei Photos by Xiao Hao

“Qianjiang bamboo crafts have a high standard of craftsmanship, ranging from material selection to the weaving process. Umbrella papyrus and giant timber bamboo are the main materials used in its production. These bamboo strips are chipped and scraped many times. It is not until they become equally thin and smooth that they are able to be woven into many products.”

While talking with us, Chen Zhenghe, a nearly 70-year-old craftsman, is busy using bamboo splitters, planes, and scrapers skillfully to hack, narrow, and scrap the bamboo strips.

Qianjiang City in Hubei Province boasts a long history of bamboo weaving, producing numerous items, such as bamboo dustpans, bamboo baskets and bamboo mats, frequently used by the locals at home or at work. The family house, built in the Wanli period (1573-1620) of the Ming Dynasty in China, has stood for about five hundred years and parallels the Chens’ weaving skills.

After finishing the processing, Chen Zhenghe goes upstairs using a wooden ladder, carrying bamboo strips. Lights penetrate through the old-fashioned gray tiles of the attic room that is filled with various bamboo items—including dustpans, sifters, vases, lanterns, creels, lotus wares, and other unique and useful wares. (Translation: Tang Lin)

潛江竹藝五百年

文/高偉 圖/蕭顥

“潛江篾藝從選料到制成篾條，工藝十分講究，主要采用水竹和桂竹，反復削刮后，篾條變得寬窄一致，纖細均勻，光滑柔順，才可以進行編織。”

如是說著，年近七旬的老手藝人陳正和變換操弄著篾刀、刨子、刮刀，劈篾，窄篾，刮篾，招式嫻熟，動作利索。反復多次后，竹子在他手中變成篾條。篾條細如發絲，毫不扎手。

Collection of Chen’s bamboo works 家中擺放的部分竹編作品

Chen is weaving thousands of bamboo strips skillfully and neatly at the same time.成百上千根篾條在指尖翻飛，根根不亂。

湖北潛江竹編歷史悠久，簸箕、竹籃、竹席等竹編制品是當地百姓常備的勞動和生活用具。陳正和所住祖傳老屋，建于明萬歷年間，有近五百年歷史，與陳家篾藝傳承歷史相當。

加工好后，陳正和抱著篾條，順著木梯爬上老房閣樓。老式小灰瓦的間隙透著一束束光亮，斜射在閣樓中的竹器上，疊簸、篩子、花瓶、燈籠、魚簍、連枷……各色竹器擺滿閣樓。