China Good Crafts: Rabbit Grandpa

Speaker: Zhang Zhongqiang, a representative inheritor of Beijing Caimang

In our old Beijing tradition, August 15th Mid -Autumn Festival, every family eats moon cakes and worship the rabbit.

Grandpa Rabbit is a type of colorful plastic in Beijing, with a history of more than 400 years. The prototype is the long -eared light fairy in Fengshen's performers. The rabbit is the body, wearing gold armor, or official uniforms, and inserting a small flag back.

Zhang Zhongqiang showed the Rabbit Grandpa in the store (Photo by Xinhua News Agency Xu Zeyu)

The production process of Grandpa Rabbit is not complicated: first make mud, then the blank, and finally paint. But there are a lot in each link. Take mud, to mix a certain percentage of cotton in the soil. As for how much cotton accounts for and what kind of stickiness is the most suitable state, it is perceived by the craftsman's hands and eyes.

Painted coloring is a key ring, from top to bottom, the color is from shallow to deep. The hardest thing is to "open a face" for Grandpa. Whether the Rabbit Grandma was so energetic, I saw that the eyebrows and noses were not in place. I want to draw this eye -catching pen. I have been practicing for a long time. I have done this for more than 50 years. I dare not say that I have done a lot of money.

Rabbit Grandpa with different forms (Photo by Xinhua News Agency Xu Zeyu)

I used to take Grandpa Rabbit to participate in a folk exhibition in Taipei. Several old men in their eighties saw the rabbit at the table, and they suddenly burst into tears. When I asked, I knew it was "Old Beijing". I think, for the old man, the Rabbit is not only a childhood memory, but also the "line" between his hometown and them.

"Old Beijing" is naturally kind to see Grandpa Rabbit. How can young people fall in love with Rabbit? In recent years, I have innovated in the traditional image of Grandpa's Grandpa, and launched the image of a series of rabbit grandfather such as "Zodiac Zodiac" and "Beijing Middle Axis". Young people, like fresh things the most. In this way, many young people have learned painting with me. There are also schools asking me to give the children class ... Now, although busy, don't mention how vigorously you are!

(Reporter Yin Zehao interview and organize)

Source: "Guangming Daily" (01, September 11, 2022)

Editor -in -chief: Wang Yuanfang

Edit: Zhang Yongqun Changying

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