The Birth of Fashion Bamboo Weaver – He Fuli and Guo Yiming

 Dongyang, Zhejiang, known as the “Hometown of Hundred Workers”, is famous for its long history, wide range of industries, many craftsmen and superb skills.

Dongyang bamboo weaving is famous all over the world together with Dongyang woodcarving.

And He Fuli, a bamboo weaving craftsman who once stayed in the Forbidden City for eight and a half years and repaired the Wanqin Zhai in Qianlong’s study, is a well-deserved “master of masters”.

1982 | Melbourne He was invited to perform,

Known as “the magician who turns bamboo into elephants”.

1997 | Hong Kong Ho Fook Lai presented a gift for Hong Kong’s return,

The creation of a giant dragon with a height of 2465 meters and a dragon body of 163 sections caused a sensation.

2004 | Centennial overhaul of the Forbidden City He Fuli boldly revealed the “Imperial List”,

Renovated Qianlong’s study, a study of more than 100 square meters,

Almost all of them are bamboo weaving craftsmanship, which is technically difficult and has never been repaired.

He Fuli lasted 3 years and went to the Forbidden City on 8th.

After that, he turned the corner tower he saw in the Forbidden City into his masterpiece, “Most Moon Tower”

A glass of wine, a bamboo,

A fishing rod, an old woman,

He Fuli, 74 years old

These four things have held up for nearly 60 years.

Among the many disciples of He Fuli,

Guo Yiming is not the most outstanding.

But Lao He can be on Xiao Guo,

Find the shadow of your youth.

Guo Yiming, who majored in furniture design,

Originally, it was far away from traditional bamboo weaving.

A chance, a book about bamboo weaving that I suddenly discovered,

ignited his passion for this unfamiliar territory.

He studied in He Fuli’s bamboo weaving factory for three years,

After returning to his hometown of Fujian, he has his own bamboo weaving studio.

Xiao Guo once had two generations’ different views on art,

Almost got kicked out of the division.

This time, he chose to return to the bamboo weaving factory,

Prove with a piece of work,

Tradition and innovation are not mutually exclusive situations.

Creation is not simply black and white.

The boss of traditional bamboo weaving in Dongyang, and the apprentice of abstract art.

A master-disciple relationship that loves and kills each other, but complements each other,

Promoted the first mentor-apprentice relationship——

How a burst knitter grows and is born in denial.

01/What are the rules for accepting apprentices?

Xiao Guo is a very persevering young man. I stumbled across a book about bamboo weaving in a bookstore, and followed the information in the book to find Dongyang Bamboo Weaving Factory. At first, he did not know bamboo weaving, nor did he know He Fuli, the master of bamboo weaving in Dongyang. When he entered the door, he saw a few large characters with He Fuli written on the door.

It was an old man with kind-hearted eyes who came out to receive him. They talked very happily until Xiao Guo revealed his purpose of apprenticeship, and the old man said slowly, “I am He Fuli.”

In the past, when a master accepted an apprentice, he had to go through a lot of tests, and it was related to the industry.

Serve tea, worship teachers, and honor the master. The master is like a second father. He says one thing or the other. If he is taught by the master if he does not do well or is not good in his studies, the apprentice should not have a single complaint.

Lao He accepted his apprentices, following the traditions of the bamboo weaving industry and the rules he learned from his master.

One who understands  a thousand tunes and then makes a sound, looks at a thousand swords and then recognizes the utensils, learns a thousand kinds of things, and the one who understands is the best.

Three diligent  people have three diligence, oral diligence, hand diligence, and foot diligence, so they can become great.

Silence  is not quiet, and there is no way to learn, silence, meditate, listen to footsteps, hear mice.

It is talking about the rules from learning to practicing, but putting these words into life is the principle of being a human being and the basics of success.

“Whether it’s your own master or not, you have to stop and say hello to the master. Only in this way can you have a sense of intimacy, and when you have a sense of intimacy, others will teach you everything.”

“The tea should be light, and the wine should be full. This is a kind of rule of being a person. Craftsmanship is like being a person. When a person gets better, his craftsmanship will gradually get better.”

To learn art, you must first learn to be a man—this is the first lesson of Xiao Guo’s apprenticeship.

“Master told me formally at that time that bamboo weaving is very hard, and you can’t learn it in an hour and a half. It may take two or three years, and it’s just an entry. If you want to make a lot of money through bamboo weaving, it’s impossible. “

Lao He did not agree to apprenticeship from the very beginning. Accepting an apprentice is a very careful process, and apprenticeship is the same. He needs to clearly understand the hard work of learning this craft, the prospects of this industry, and more importantly, the support and understanding of his parents.

The hardships of learning bamboo weaving craftsmanship will not scare away Xiao Guo, who is dedicated to getting started. For a long time later, Xiao Guo was full of gratitude and awe for his master.

A good master should not just teach skills, but teach him how to be a better person. Just like the axe that chops bamboo is lifted and dropped again, whether you are serious or not depends not only on how you treat this handicraft, but also on whether you are responsible for the choices you make.

02/Different from traditional teaching methods

The responsibility of the apprentice is to learn, and the responsibility of the master is to teach. He, who has worked in the bamboo weaving industry for 60 years, is very strict with his apprentices, and he almost never praises others in person.

Lao He once had a very smart apprentice, and after studying art, he returned to his hometown to drive a tractor. Old He, who was very angry about this, said something to his apprentice who came to pay New Year’s greetings later——

“If you make bamboo weaving, I am your master. If you don’t make bamboo weaving, then don’t call me master.”

Normally, to make a bamboo weaving handicraft, you need to go through several steps: cutting bamboo, slitting, layering, boiling bamboo (bamboo split into strips), crossing the door, splitting the bamboo, weaving hexagonal holes, and weaving. However, Xiao Guo, who has been away from the school for a long time, has become unfamiliar with his basic skills.

If the method of splitting the bamboo is wrong, you should be scolded; if the sound of cutting the bamboo is wrong, you should be scolded; if you choose the wrong bamboo, you should scolded. But even if it is strict, Xiao Guo’s efforts are all in his eyes, and he even turns a blind eye to Xiao Guo’s occasional unruly.

In the past, the masters and disciples of bamboo weaving would have people split bamboo for a long time in the beginning. In this way, the apprentices can be proficient and have a solid grasp of the basic skills, but the disadvantage is that they cannot touch the weaving process and the processing of the entire handicraft in the later stage.

And Lao He asked the new apprentices to choose bamboo, to split bamboo, to weaving, from beginning to end, all by himself. Then I will tell you from the beginning of the work, which part needs to be consolidated. The apprentice has done a lot of work, and naturally he will find that the chopsticks are not good enough. This cycle repeats to achieve scientific and effective results.

Traditional teaching methods may make people unable to graduate for five or six years. But Xiao Guo was able to independently complete the works he wanted after three years of apprenticeship and art.

Lao He’s dedication to Dongyang bamboo weaving transcends everything in life. For him, bamboo weaving is the bottom line of his life.

He said that the rigor of the division is that Dongyang Bamboo Weaving is Dongyang Bamboo Weaving wherever it goes. It cannot become Fujian bamboo weaving just because Dongyang bamboo weaving was brought to Fujian.

This sentence later became the teaching that Xiao Guo established his studio and kept in his heart.

In Xiao Guo’s mind, the relationship with Master cannot be generalized by the “friendship” that young people treat their elders today.

Lao He’s sternness is frightening, but his kindness and softness deep in his heart make him want to get close all the time.

In this case, where did the conflict between the master and the apprentice come from?

03/I was almost kicked out of the division

The story of Lao He and Xiao Guo is a bit like the father-son relationship in the old days.

A stubborn father and a son who is obedient on the surface but rebellious on the inside. There is a gap of nearly half a century between the two generations. In the process of running in and communicating with each other, they almost lost both.

Xiao Guo, who studied design, is very thoughtful about his own works. Do not want to stick to the existing framework, the blood of young people to take risks is rushing in the blood. He does not do flowers, plants, birds and beasts, and does not refer to grand buildings, but plunges into the world of abstraction and challenges the tradition.

The idea of ​​using bamboo weaving technology to make abstract works is very unconventional in itself.

The concept of “Vientiane” is Xiao Guo’s own expression of art – things are never fixed, each form has its reason for existence.

It was the first work of his bamboo weaving career. From simply imitating others, showing off your skills, to integrating your own ideas into the work and completing it independently, this process is very difficult and long, but it is a very fulfilling thing.

But when he got to the master, it became the tipping point of the first conflict between the master and the apprentice.

In order to satisfy the theme of “Vientiane”, which is not limited to the frame, Xiao Guo did not make it a base. In his mind, “Vientiane” should be like a flowing water that floats at will, with smooth lines that naturally radiate into the distance. But Lao He insisted on adding a base to “Vientiane” according to his own ideas and aesthetics.

The luxurious bamboo plaited base adds “superfluousness” to the already complex design, and the “Vientiane” under the light can no longer project a good-looking projection. Xiao Guo’s first sentence after seeing it, did not go through the slightest consideration: “Like a tight-knit spell, it killed it.”

The first sentence from the bottom of my heart, such a direct confrontation angered Master. Lao He became sullen because of this, and ignored Xiao Guo for several days.

“Without a base, it’s like a person who can’t stand firm. Those who have a problem can’t stand firm.” Lao He said.

Later, when the trouble got serious, Xiao Guo realized that he was very likely to be kicked out of his division. Although he insisted on his own opinion, the authority of Master’s authority could not be challenged. He wanted to continue to study here, but Xiao Guo chose to compromise.

“Master scolded it very badly at that time, so I didn’t dare to say a word.” But the anger turned into anger, and the price of Lao He’s base itself even surpassed “Vientiane”.

This war of new and old aesthetics finally ended temporarily when Xiao Guo was almost kicked out of his division.

04/The contest between “old father” and “rebellious son”

This is not the only time Xiao Guo has confronted his master.

“Wangshan” is an abstract work that Xiao Guo has high hopes for. Sending it to the exhibition is an excellent opportunity to make his name in the bamboo weaving industry, and it is also the reason why he returned to the school this time. The volume is huge and the production difficulty is high. For Xiao Guo, who has not enough experience, it is more difficult than “Vientiane”.

But what he wants to prove more is whether his aesthetics can be truly recognized in the eyes of Master.

At the same time, Lao He is preparing another masterpiece after “Mochizuki Tower” – a 5-meter-high Hundred Birds Chaofeng.

In traditional bamboo weaving handicrafts, wooden frames or clay sculptures are used as the fetal membrane, and the bamboo silk is then attached to the fetal membrane and woven into shape.

This time, Xiao Guo did not take the form of fetal membranes. Because he believes that the use of fetal membranes is only equivalent to wearing bamboo for clothes, and does not reflect the charm of bamboo weaving, but will weaken the characteristics. What he wanted to rely on was the toughness and pulling force of the bamboo itself, pulling each other in a crisscross pattern to achieve balance.

The shadow of “Vientiane” still lingers in his heart. Xiao Guo, who is well aware of Master’s stubborn character, understands that the opposite approach of “no fetal membranes” will inevitably be unacceptable.

Even so, he persisted.

“At the same time as satisfying others, you must first satisfy your own aesthetics. I will use abstract works to prove to you that it is not wrong, it is actually very beautiful.”

The master who speaks the truth meets the apprentices who are unwilling to stick to the old rules and want to start a new school. The gap between the thinking and aesthetics of the two generations collided and merged in the production process of this work called “Wangshan”.

Lao He believes that for a “masterpiece” like “Wangshan”, if there is no inner support, the whole work will be “unsteady” and the retention value is not high. But Xiao Guo’s stubbornness made Lao He angry and helpless.

The master left in anger, and Xiao Guo had to bite the bullet and get on it himself.

Even if the fetal membrane is added, isn’t it the same to see from the outside? Xiao Guo tried to convince himself, but he still couldn’t pass the test in his heart. One of the truths he has always insisted on is: If everything is well thought out by the master, it will be boring. When you do anything, you only think about half of it first, and leave the other half for the problems that may arise, so that the works that collide will bring different surprises.

But this time, Xiao Guo tasted the taste of failure. The works without fetal membranes are like a staggered scarecrow, and there is no way to “stand in prison”. Lao He didn’t accuse him anymore, but turned his head and taught him how to reinforce the work without fetal membranes.

The problem of fetal membranes was solved, and Xiao Guo felt that he lacked a trace of anger again. Just when he was distressed and overwhelmed, Lao He took out a bird among the phoenixes he was preparing, and set it up on it.

A bird, standing halfway up the mountain, looked up at the high top of the mountain.

“Wangshan” was born.

From the loss of both sides in “Vientiane” to the current integration and mutual concession, “Wangshan” carries this period of master-apprentice fetters.

It’s like the relationship between most seniors and juniors. There are always those who are conservative and traditional, and there are always those who are imaginative. They are stern on the surface, and even resolutely disagree, but when you feel confused and ask for help, they will definitely give in, and it is obligatory.

This was not a successful attempt, let Xiao Guo know that many things can’t be done with blood. He also learned a valuable lesson here.

——Keep a peaceful mind to face the next unknowns and failures.

Even now, the abstract school that Xiao Guo insists on is only a niche market for young people in the eyes of Lao He. The occasional “rebellious” mood also made him angry, but Lao He could always find the shadow of his youth in Xiao Guo.

“At that time, I was in a bamboo weaving factory, and there were a thousand or two thousand people. They all said that He Fuli’s ideas were all useless, and he insisted on doing things that could not be done.”

The former old He was also taught by his master that he wanted to cry, and he was rebellious and did not listen to the teachings. He even went to the river to fish quietly during the meeting. Maybe it’s like Xiao Guo who he commented: “Like a wild horse that is not tame and disobedient, it comes, runs, and walks.” But it grew up in the denial of everyone.

Teacher and apprentice, father and son,

Negation and growth, inheritance and reincarnation.

Just like my father will grow old one day,

Children take over the baton and become a continuation of life.

Old He clearly knows that one day he will grow old

He can no longer weave bamboo, but his life is complete.

And to undertake the skill of bamboo weaving,

There are thousands of young craftsmen including Xiao Guo.

“I don’t care what future generations say about me,

until they judge me,

I have gone. “

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