文/本刊記者 楊艷

At the venue of the 2023 Liangping Visit and Chinese New Year Gala for Consular Corps and Overseas Institutions in Chongqing, guests gathered at the display of the Liangping Bamboo Curtain.At the stand, Lu Xiaogang, the Chongqing municipallevel inheritor of the “Liangping Bamboo Curtain” (a national intangible cultural heritage), was demonstrating how to strip the bamboo in the process of making Liangping bamboo curtain fans, which now serve as gifts on occasions of foreign affairs.

He took a piece of bamboo, broke it, cracked it,removed nodes, separated the bamboo green, sliced it into even fibers, and rubbed and cleaned the fibers.In just a few minutes, a 50 to 60 centimeters long bamboo has turned into bamboo threads as thin as hair.His skillful performance blew the international guests away.

From Imperial Tributes to Exported Presents

“Thin as cicada wings and light as silk, numerous strands and threads are interwoven to make the textile.This is the world’s best curtain, so intricate as if it is heaven-made.” The bamboo threads are the main fibers and beautiful paintings are drawn on the bamboo fabric.History records, as early as in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Liangping Bamboo Curtains were tributes to the royal family and were well-known as the World’s Best Curtain.

The Liangping bamboo curtain fan was selected as“Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs” in 2021.梁平竹簾扇入選2021“重慶好禮·外事禮品”。

2023外國領(lǐng)團(tuán)及境外駐渝機(jī)構(gòu)代表走進(jìn)梁平活動現(xiàn)場，梁平竹簾的展臺前人頭攢動，國家級非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)梁平竹簾重慶市級代表性傳承人陸曉剛，正在演示重慶外事禮品梁平竹簾扇制作過程中的精妙“絕活”—破竹取絲。

只見他取一截慈竹，破竹、劃片、啟篾、去節(jié)、刨青、分絲、勻絲、搓揉、清毛，短短幾分鐘，一根五六十厘米長的竹簡就化為細(xì)如發(fā)絲的竹絲。動作嫻熟，一氣呵成，令駐足觀看的外國嘉賓贊不絕口。

陸曉剛攜梁平竹簾產(chǎn)品在俄羅斯參加“2019圣彼得堡‘歡樂春節(jié)’”活動。

Aircrews from the Soviet Union and the United States, who were stationed at Liangping Military Airfield during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, appreciated the bamboo curtain artworks and brought some bamboo curtains made in Liangping as souvenirs to give to their loved ones back home.Liangping Bamboo Curtains made their way to the other side of the Pacific Ocean and became a unique Oriental artifact in Western homes.

In 1959, Liangping Bamboo Curtain Factory undertook the commission of making a mega bamboo curtain painting for the Great Hall of the People.In 1975, Liangping bamboo curtain paintings were brought and presented as gifts by Chinese leaders attending the General Assembly of the United Nations.The year 1980 saw another five mega bamboo curtain decorations produced for the Great Hall of the People.The made-in-Liangping decorations met with acclaim both at home and abroad.Liangping Bamboo Curtains were inscribed on the list of the second batch of China’s national intangible cultural heritages in 2008.

After starting out as an entry-level worker, Lu Xiaogang has risen through the ranks to become the director of the factory.He beamed as he spoke about the illustrious past of the Liangping Bamboo Curtain.“Manufacturing and sales of the curtain peaked in the 1960s and 1970s,when the factory employed more than 300 people.Our bamboo curtains won awards in numerous exhibitions both at home and abroad.Its oneof-a-kind processes attracted renowned artists from all over China to use the curtain as a medium to show their talent.In the 1980s and 1990s,Liangping bamboo curtains were exported to South Korea, Japan, the Czech Republic, and other countries, as well as those in Southeast Asia,”said Lu Xiaogang.

梁平竹簾 從皇家貢品到外銷禮品

“薄如蟬翼淡如綢，萬縷千絲總相連，借得七仙靈巧手，換來天下第一簾?！笔妨嫌涊d，早在北宋年間，以竹絲為主要原料編織成簾，畫上精美圖畫—梁平竹簾就被列為皇家貢品，飲譽(yù)天下，素有“天下第一簾”之稱。

抗戰(zhàn)期間，美蘇盟國均有駐梁平軍用機(jī)場的空勤人員，他們對竹簾畫大為欣賞，紛紛帶回國饋贈親友。梁平竹簾遠(yuǎn)渡重洋，成為歐美家庭別具一格的東方藝術(shù)品。

1959年，梁平竹簾廠為北京人民大會堂承制巨幅竹簾畫。1975年，中國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)出席聯(lián)合國大會，又將竹簾畫作為禮品攜往大洋彼岸。1980年，竹簾廠再次為北京人民大會堂承制了5幅大型竹簾裝飾品，中外人士流連于此，贊不絕口。2008年，“梁平竹簾”被列入全國第二批非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)名錄。

陸曉剛從梁平竹簾廠的工人做到廠長，談及梁平竹簾的昔日輝煌，他笑逐顏開：“到20世紀(jì)六七十年代，竹簾制作和銷售達(dá)到頂峰，竹簾廠有300多名工人，生產(chǎn)的竹簾在國內(nèi)外展覽中多次獲獎，并以其獨(dú)特的工藝形式，吸引了全國眾多知名藝術(shù)家一展身手。在八九十年代，梁平竹簾出口遠(yuǎn)銷韓國、日本、捷克等國及東南亞地區(qū)。”

Over 80 Elaborate Processes for a Liangping Bamboo Curtain

Liangping Bamboo Curtain is made from Liangping’s Cizhu (Neosinocalamus affinis) bamboo, which is refined through more than 80 processes by hand, such as bamboo selection, breaking the bamboo into sections, separating the bamboo green, cracking into even fibers on one end, slicing, making threads, reeling,waving into the curtain, binding, and drawing.Diverse products are made when the bamboo curtain is combined with other techniques such as painting,embroidery, and flocking.These handcrafts, the results of fine craftsmanship,feature elegant colors, unique local features, and natural textures.

“Having the right raw material is the key to making the bamboo curtain.Liangping Bamboo Curtain is made of local Neosinocalamus Affinis bamboo with long joints which turns green every two or three years.It must have few blossoms with its green surface unstained, so that the bamboo strips will be pastel.” Lu Xiaogang, who has been devoted to bamboo curtains for over 40 years, said,“stripping is the most challenging but the key procedure.Only 1.5 to 2 kilograms out of bamboos weighing about 50 kilograms will be ultimately used.Usually, a thin bamboo slice with a width of 1.5 centimeters can produce 30 to 40 strips with a width of about 0.25 millimeters.”

“Painting on bamboo curtain is different from painting on Xuan paper(traditional Chinese paper used for calligraphy and painting), for bamboo curtain lacks the natural blending effect presented by painting on Xuan paper, yet exudes a fresh and free feeling.Thanks to that, an enchanting feeling will be emanated when we paint Chinese landscape on it.” Lu said.

抽絲剝繭 80余道工序成一簾

梁平竹簾以梁平盛產(chǎn)的慈竹為原料，經(jīng)過選竹、啟片、分絲、勻絲、沖頭子、迂篾、繅絲、牽梳、提縱、織簾、裝訂、繪畫等80余道手工工序精細(xì)制作，織成“細(xì)如毫發(fā)密如絲，薄如蟬翼輕如錦”的獨(dú)特竹簾工藝品，并結(jié)合書畫、刺繡、植絨等多種表現(xiàn)手法，其色澤典雅、工藝精細(xì)，具有濃郁的地方特色和自然風(fēng)韻。

“在竹簾制作工序里，原材料的選擇是根本。梁平竹簾選用本地慈竹為主要原料，必須是竹節(jié)長、干花少、青皮未傷的隔年青或兩年青，這樣抽出的竹絲才會色澤柔和?！备闪?0多年的陸曉剛介紹說，“抽絲則是最考技術(shù)，也是最關(guān)鍵的一道工序。近百斤竹子最后留用的也就三四斤。通常來講，1.5厘米寬的竹子薄片能抽出30到40根竹絲，1根竹絲細(xì)約0.25毫米?！?/p>

“在竹簾上繪畫不同于在宣紙上作畫，它沒有宣紙那種自然天成的暈染效果，但會給人一種清新、灑脫的感覺，尤其是山水畫，清秀的畫風(fēng)很有韻味?！标憰詣偙硎尽?/p>

創(chuàng)新裂變 在變化中尋求新生

“2001年企業(yè)改制后，我創(chuàng)建了梁平縣流芳工藝竹簾廠，但隨著科技的發(fā)展，大量現(xiàn)代工藝制品沖擊著傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)品市場，漸漸地，梁平竹簾淡出了人們的視野?！标憰詣偢袊@道。

為了讓梁平竹簾重放異彩，陸曉剛花費(fèi)多年精力在制作和宣傳上，他大膽創(chuàng)新了多種竹簾掛件、裝飾畫及實(shí)用工藝品，推出了臺式竹簾、屏風(fēng)式竹簾、落地式竹簾等新品類。其所設(shè)計(jì)開發(fā)制作的竹簾在參加全國及省市大型展示會評比中屢屢獲獎，代表性竹簾畫《清明上河圖》《長江三峽圖》，刺繡竹簾《熊貓群戲圖》《八仙祝壽圖》等被評為金獎，其竹簾屏風(fēng)在第42屆中國工藝美術(shù)展上榮獲“金鳳凰”創(chuàng)新產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)銀獎，竹簾扇入選2021“重慶好禮·外事禮品”，獲得無數(shù)好評。

梁平竹簾亮相2023外國領(lǐng)團(tuán)及境外駐渝機(jī)構(gòu)代表走進(jìn)梁平活動。 圖片/梁平區(qū)融媒體中心提供

Innovation and Transformation—Seeking Rebirth in Changes

“After enterprise reformation in 2001, I established the Liangping Liufang Bamboo Curtain Factory.However, due to the emergence of a large number of modern craft products in the market with the development of modern technology, Liangping Bamboo Curtain is losing its ground in the market.” Lu lamented.

To revitalize Liangping Bamboo Curtain, Lu has been committed to its production and promotion for years.He made bold yet innovative changes to various bamboo curtain pendants, decorative paintings, and crafts for practical use.He also unveiled new bamboo curtain products, such as bamboo curtain stand, bamboo curtain screen, and bamboo timber blinds.The bamboo curtains designed, developed, and produced by Lu, have won many awards at important exhibitions at the national, provincial, municipal and city levels.Among his representative works, bamboo curtain paintings includingAlong the River During the Qingming Festival and Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, together with embroidered bamboo curtains includingFrolicking Pandas and The Eight Immortals Offering Birthday Congratulations, won the first prize; the bamboo curtain screen won the second prize of the“Golden Phoenix” innovative product design at the 42nd China Arts & Crafts Expo; and the bamboo curtain fan was selected as “Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs” in 2021.His crafts have enjoyed public praise and appreciation.

Meanwhile, he frequently attended commodities fairs across China with his bamboo curtain samples, aiming at increasing the popularity of Liangping Bamboo Curtain.He also traveled with the cultural delegation organized by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government to countries such as the United States, Germany, and Russia for cultural exchanges many times.Thanks to years of dedication, Liufang Bamboo Curtain Factory was listed as the Demonstration Base for Productive Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chongqing.Products made by his factory are exported to countries including Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Morocco.

Lu Xiaogang has been committed to the principle of teaching the technique for free and offering jobs to those who have mastered the technique, thus attracting a large number of young people.However, sales of bamboo curtain have plunged in recent years due to COVID-19.“On account of complicated procedures, tedious work content, and less respectable income, the number of students is declining.” Lu Xiaogang, who is of retirement age, said resignedly, “Although I’m getting on in years, as long as I’m alive, I will pass on the technique to future generations.”

For Lu, questions like how to promote R&D and make innovation while preserving the traditions of Liangping Bamboo Curtain, how to blaze a trail to spread brilliant traditional Chinese culture, and how to introduce the ancient fine cultural products to everyone have been always lingering in his mind.

Photo/The Interviewee

同時，他帶著竹簾樣品積極亮相全國各地大型展銷會，不斷擴(kuò)大梁平竹簾的知名度，并多次隨政府組織的文化代表團(tuán)前往美國、德國、俄羅斯等國家進(jìn)行文化交流。多年的堅(jiān)守，流芳工藝竹簾廠被列為重慶市非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)生產(chǎn)性保護(hù)示范基地，其產(chǎn)品遠(yuǎn)銷日本、韓國、捷克、摩洛哥等國家。

陸曉剛一直堅(jiān)守著免費(fèi)傳授技藝的原則，學(xué)成后提供就業(yè)崗位，吸引大量的年輕人前來學(xué)習(xí)。但受近年疫情影響，竹簾銷量銳減。“程序繁多，工作枯燥，收入不盡如人意，學(xué)員越來越少。”已到退休年齡的陸曉剛對此有些無奈，但同時表示“雖然年紀(jì)大了，但生命不息，傳承的薪火不止?！?/p>

梁平竹簾如何在保留傳統(tǒng)手工基礎(chǔ)上研發(fā)創(chuàng)新，如何為優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化傳播開辟新途徑，如何讓古老的文化精品走進(jìn)千家萬戶……這些問題一直縈繞在陸曉剛的腦海里。