Chen Weiming
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Chen Weiming, Male, Han, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-38). The tradition is documented in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship in Hangzhou, Zhejiang: Zhang Xiaoquan scissors are made with Hangzhou as the center; the traditional process comprises 72 process steps, of which two exquisite and distinctive techniques have been preserved through long practice: the steel-inlay forging technique and the grinding technique. Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan Group Co., Ltd. is the project's protecting institution. The former site of the Hangzhou scissors workshops lies in the area of Xixing Bridge, and the scissor samples produced there since the Republican era remain the industry's benchmark for comparison. Zhang Xiaoquan scissors were first made in Hangzhou in 1663, the second year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, and later became one of the city's renowned “Five Hang” products. Zhang Xiaoquan, the founder of Zhang Xiaoquan scissors, laid down the family motto “fine steel, finely wrought,” which his descendants have put into practice for more than 340 years; it has become the core philosophy of the Zhang Xiaoquan corporate culture. The Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors Factory's operating tenet of “quality first, integrity as the foundation” and its spirit of “putting heart into every task” both derive from this. In 1910 Zhang Xiaoquan scissors won the silver award at the Nanyang Industrial Exposition; in 1915 the second prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition; in 1926 the silver award at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exposition in the United States; and in 1929 the special prize at the West Lake Exposition. In 1956, Mao Zedong pointed out in his essay “Accelerate the Socialist Transformation of Handicraft Industries”: “We remind you that among the handicraft industries there are many good things; do not do away with them.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Chen Weiming is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship in Hangzhou, Zhejiang: Traditional household scissors were the product on which Zhang Xiaoquan built its business. They came in five models — Xinhua, Shanlang, Wuhu, round-head and long-head — and dominated the scissors industry through ten defining qualities: even steel inlay, a clear contrast between steel and iron, fine grinding, sharp blades, secure rivets, smooth opening and closing, elegant designs, novel engraved patterns, long service life and excellent value for money. The traditional Zhang Xiaoquan scissors-making process comprises 72 process steps, two of which are exquisite and distinctive techniques that have been preserved through long practice. The first is the steel-inlay forging technique: fine steel from Longquan and Yunhe in Zhejiang is inlaid into wrought iron and refined through a thousand hammer blows to form the scissor blades, which are then ground with Zhenjiang clay bricks. The second is the hand-engraving technique on the scissor surface: craftsmen engrave patterns of West Lake scenery, birds and animals onto the surface, vividly lifelike and exquisitely perfect. Zhang Xiaoquan scissors were once supplied to the Qing imperial court, and the brand became a Chinese time-honored name (laozihao) after the Qianlong Emperor bestowed a special commendation seal. They have been widely praised at home and enjoyed renown throughout the world. The Wang Mazi and Zhang Xiaoquan knives and scissors must not be done away with, not in ten thousand years. Whatever good things of our nation have been done away with must certainly be restored, and made somewhat better than before. With the development of the times, however, the application of modern stamping and injection-molding processes has dealt a heavy blow to the traditional scissors forging technique, causing a break in the transmission of this ancient handicraft: today no master scissorsmith capable of completing all the process steps from beginning to end remains, and the Zhang Xiaoquan scissors forging technique urgently needs rescue and restoration. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Archival Record of Process Steps": The traditional Zhang Xiaoquan scissors-making process comprises 72 process steps, two of which are exquisite and distinctive techniques that have been preserved through long practice. The first is the steel-inlay forging technique: fine steel from Longquan and Yunhe in Zhejiang is inlaid into wrought iron and refined through a thousand hammer blows to form the scissor blades, which are then ground with Zhenjiang clay bricks. The second is the hand-engraving technique on the scissor surface: craftsmen engrave patterns of West Lake scenery, birds and animals onto the surface, vividly lifelike and exquisitely perfect.
Archival Record of Process Steps
The traditional Zhang Xiaoquan scissors-making process comprises 72 process steps, two of which are exquisite and distinctive techniques that have been preserved through long practice. The first is the steel-inlay forging technique: fine steel from Longquan and Yunhe in Zhejiang is inlaid into wrought iron and refined through a thousand hammer blows to form the scissor blades, which are then ground with Zhenjiang clay bricks. The second is the hand-engraving technique on the scissor surface: craftsmen engrave patterns of West Lake scenery, birds and animals onto the surface, vividly lifelike and exquisitely perfect.
Core Technique I
Traditional household scissors were the product on which Zhang Xiaoquan built its business.
Core Technique II
They came in five models — Xinhua, Shanlang, Wuhu, round-head and long-head — and dominated the scissors industry through ten defining qualities: even steel inlay, a clear contrast between steel and iron, fine grinding, sharp blades, secure rivets, smooth opening and closing, elegant designs, novel engraved patterns, long service life and excellent value for money.
Core Technique III
The traditional Zhang Xiaoquan scissors-making process comprises 72 process steps, two of which are exquisite and distinctive techniques that have been preserved through long practice.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Chen Weiming was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship, with Hangzhou, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhangxiaoquanjiandao Forging Craftsmanship in Hangzhou, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Hangzhou, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Hangzhou Zhang XiaoQuan Group Co., Ltd. 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
Zhang Xiaoquan scissors were first made in Hangzhou in 1663, the second year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, and later became one of the city's renowned “Five Hang” products. Zhang Xiaoquan, the founder of Zhang Xiaoquan scissors, laid down the family motto “fine steel, finely wrought,” which his descendants have put into practice for more than 340 years; it has become the core philosophy of the Zhang Xiaoquan corporate culture.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shi Jinshui | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | 01-0157 | Same declared area |
| Xu Zuxing | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | 01-0158 | Same declared area |
| Shi Xuping | Beijing | 03-1315 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Zhongyao | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | 05-2747 | Same declared area |
| Chen Weiming | Hangzhou, 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。