Peng'an, Sichuan: He Qirong and Deng Peng were recognized as the first batch of provincial-level rural master craftsmen

On August 18th, the author learned from the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Yingshan County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province that after city level recommendation, departmental review, public announcement and other procedures, the Agriculture and Rural Department, Education Department, Economic and Information Technology Department, Culture and Tourism Department and other departments of Sichuan Province recently announced the first batch of provincial-level rural master craftsmen. He Qirong, a bamboo weaving master from Tianping Village, Lujing Town, Yingshan County, and Deng Peng, the head of Pengda Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative in Shishi Village, Mingde Township, were listed.

It is understood that He Qirong, who is over seventy years old, has been engaged in bamboo weaving since childhood, following the tradition of his ancestors. In long-term learning and production, he found that different colored bamboo strips can produce different reflection effects and visual enjoyment under light. At that time, he began to ponder how to weave patterns, practice and study at night and day, and visited Zigong, Meishan and other places to learn the essence of bamboo weaving technology. On this basis, bold innovation gradually formed its own unique artistic style.

The material for the "He's Bamboo Silk Fan" should be selected from high-quality bamboo with strong toughness and good glossiness. The processing steps are complex, mainly including cutting strips, steaming, drying, soaking, planing, weaving, and other processes. The bamboo strips need to be repeatedly thinned and polished, and finally processed into fine bamboo strands like hair. Weaving according to the designed pattern requires 200 to 500 bamboo threads per square inch, and it takes six months or even a year to weave into a fan. The entire fan surface is like fine silk, like white silk, and as thin as cicada wings, giving people a beautiful enjoyment. In his over 40 years of bamboo weaving career, He Qirong has woven dozens of exquisite works.

He Qirong is known as the "champion of bamboo weaving in northern Sichuan", and his bamboo weaving technique is known as the "unique skill in Sichuan". Chang'e Flying to the Moon "has been collected by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, while" Crossing the Tiger into the Mountain "and" Ma Gu's Birthday Celebration "have been showcased at the first China Folk Art Top 100 Heroes Conference and the" Centennial Classic Works "exhibition, and have been awarded gold medals by the China Folk Literature and Art Association and the China Cultural Management Society. Bamboo weaves such as "Offering Longevity Picture" and "Orchid Vanilla" have settled in the US market. In 2006, the Nanchong Municipal Government approved the first batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage, including the "He's Bamboo Silk Fan".

Deng Peng, 48 years old, served in the Third Guard Division of the Beijing Garrison in 1994. After retiring, he worked as a senior administrator at a resort in Beijing. In 2011, he returned to his hometown to start a business and led the establishment of the "Pengda Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative in Yingshan County", planting tea in Shishi Village, Mingde Township. He invested all his savings over the years in the construction of tea garden infrastructure, leading the members of the cooperative to sleep in the high mountains for half a year, cultivating more than 1300 acres of mountainous land among the thorny mountains, planting more than 5.5 million tea trees such as Mingyou 131, Fuding 8, Huangjinya, Zijuan, and Naibai tea, and building an industrial road connecting the village roads.

In terms of preventing and controlling pests and diseases, Pengda farmers and herdsmen take an unusual path. They put biological insecticides in blue and white plastic bottles and hung them among tea trees. In the tea garden, a three-dimensional green prevention and control system is constructed using biodegradable insecticidal panels, solar powered wind suction insecticidal lamps, and insect traps. In 2022, Mingde Tea successfully applied for organic food certification.

Traditional hand fried tea has eight processes, and the tea products made by hand withering and frying are of high quality. Pengda Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative organized more than 20 young people in the village to study and inherit the manual tea making skills. Deng Peng conducted professional training and demonstration activities to promote the inheritance of traditional Mingde tea making techniques. The tea produced by Pengda Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative has successively won honors such as Sichuan Special Tourism Commodity, Nanchong Special Agricultural Product, and Nanchong Science and Technology Achievement Gold Award.

Pengda Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative, supported by the tea industry, comprehensively promotes the integrated development of agriculture, culture, tourism, and health. It offers study courses around "tea fragrance and labor study" and has basically built an ecological leisure tourism resort integrating tea picking, tea making, and tea tasting. (Peng Jie)