Chen Ajin
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Chen Ajin, Male, Han, from Longquan, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-37). The tradition is documented in Longquan, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship in Longquan, Zhejiang: According to the project archive on the China Intangible Cultural Heritage website, the fame of the Longquan sword began with the legends of sword casting, but the technique was truly carried forward through the old sword shops bearing their trade names that have operated since the Ming and Qing dynasties. The founder of the Shen Guanglong Sword Shop, Shen Tingzhang, is the representative figure of modern Longquan sword making; successive generations of his successors have kept the trade name in use, firing the forge and taking on apprentices, and the apprenticeship system has become the fundamental means by which this craft has been carried on.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Chen Ajin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship in Longquan, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship in Longquan, Zhejiang: The Longquan sword is representative of ancient Chinese weapons and also a famous traditional craft of China, with a history of more than 2,500 years to date. Legend has it that in the late Spring and Autumn period, the master sword caster Ou Yezi of the State of Yue forged three famous swords — Longyuan, Tai'a, and Gongbu — at Qinxi Mountain in Longquan, naming the locality Longyuan after the first of them, and the technique was transmitted onward from there. The Longquan region holds deposits of the ore "tieying" (iron sand), the "polishing stone" used to sharpen swords, and the hualumu wood used to make scabbards; the springs of Qinxi Mountain can be used to quench the blades, and the dense forests provide ample charcoal fuel. The Longquan sword is celebrated for four great characteristics: a sharp blade, a chilling gleam, an interplay of hardness and suppleness, and exquisite ornament. Its materials are chosen with great care — hence the saying "three jin of rough iron yields half a jin of steel" — and the forging heat is properly controlled, so that the composition is even and the grain fresh; its quenching method is also distinctive, and its polishing most exacting. The forging technique of the Longquan sword contains rich cultural connotations and occupies an important place in the history of Chinese weaponry, metallurgy, and art. The Longquan sword is not only an implement for martial-arts exercise and a prop for film, television, and the stage, but also a national gift presented to foreign guests, treasured by people in China and abroad and by sword enthusiasts alike. However, sword forging has now become fully modernized, dealing a heavy blow to the traditional technique; business strategies that pursue sales and economic returns have affected the quality of the swords, and the environment of the sword-forging region has also been damaged. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Splitting pig iron from steel and forging": The blade needs a set ratio of soft iron to steel, with two sayings current in the trade; correct heat is what keeps the grain even. "Quenching in the Qinxi spring water": Quenching in the Qinxi spring water tightens the edge as it cools, the decisive step behind the sword's cold sheen. "Grinding on the local whetstone": Blades are finished on local bright stone; the angle and width of the edge are worked out by hand rather than by any written standard. "Making the rosewood scabbard": The scabbard is cut from choice rosewood whose surface ripens with age; reading the timber is the whole difficulty of the job.
Splitting pig iron from steel and forging
The blade needs a set ratio of soft iron to steel, with two sayings current in the trade; correct heat is what keeps the grain even.
Quenching in the Qinxi spring water
Quenching in the Qinxi spring water tightens the edge as it cools, the decisive step behind the sword's cold sheen.
Grinding on the local whetstone
Blades are finished on local bright stone; the angle and width of the edge are worked out by hand rather than by any written standard.
Making the rosewood scabbard
The scabbard is cut from choice rosewood whose surface ripens with age; reading the timber is the whole difficulty of the job.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Chen Ajin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship, with Longquan, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Longquan Sword Forging Craftsmanship in Longquan, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Longquan, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Longquan Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center (Shiduiwaihezuojiaoliu Center, Longquan Qing Ci Culture Transmission Shengtai Safeguarding Qu Management Center) as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
According to the project archive on the China Intangible Cultural Heritage website, the fame of the Longquan sword began with the legends of sword casting, but the technique was truly carried forward through the old sword shops bearing their trade names that have operated since the Ming and Qing dynasties. The founder of the Shen Guanglong Sword Shop, Shen Tingzhang, is the representative figure of modern Longquan sword making; successive generations of his successors have kept the trade name in use, firing the forge and taking on apprentices, and the apprenticeship system has become the fundamental means by which this craft has been carried on.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shen Xinpei | Longquan, Zhejiang | 01-0156 | Same declared area |
| Gao Qingmin | Xiping, Henan | 05-2746 | Other regional school |
| Chen Ajin | Longquan, Zhejiang | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。