Huashupi Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The Hezhe people of the Heilongjiang River valley, like the Oroqen, Evenki, and Daur of the north, have no pottery tradition; birch bark therefore served the function of vessels in their daily lives. This thread links the bark vessel practices on both sides of the Heilongjiang River and the Greater Khingan Range into a single whole. By the present day, the birch bark craft of the Raohe area has shifted from hunting implements to display and custom-made goods. Fu Zhanxiang developed two new forms beyond the traditional process steps, incised carving and pyrography, while birch bark boats and birch bark cases are custom-ordered in bulk by ethnic museums. Yet the continuation of the craft still rests on individuals: in his later years this national-level representative inheritor had only one apprentice; the survival of the craft and the survival of the person are here one and the same problem.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Ancient northern hunting and nomadic peoples such as the Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Khitan, and Jurchen all had eras of pottery-making, whereas peoples such as the Oroqen, Evenki, Daur, and Mongols have no history of pottery-making. Birch bark vessels created by peoples such as the Oroqen, Evenki, and Daur replaced pottery and porcelain in production and daily life, embodying the cultural characteristics of forest hunting peoples. Birch bark has good waterproofing and corrosion-resistant properties; vessels made from it are light, easy to carry, and not easily broken, making them production tools and daily necessities beloved by hunting peoples. They come in diverse forms and shapes, mainly including boats, baskets, boxes, cases, and bowls. These vessels are all sewn together from birch bark with animal sinew and horsehair rope, with various flowers and patterns carved and pressed onto them. They are not only important utensils but also exquisite works of art. The traditional birch bark processing craft has four steps: first, peeling the bark; second, soaking or boiling the bark to soften it; third, cutting and sewing; fourth, decorating with patterns. The decorative techniques include hammered pressing and cut-and-paste; all ethnic peoples decorate their birch bark products with patterns symbolizing auspiciousness, festivity, peace, and harvest. With the development of society, the production and way of life of hunting peoples have changed enormously, hunting culture has gradually declined, and birch bark making craftsmanship has also gradually fallen into decline.
Choosing and stripping the bark
Birch is chosen straight, smooth and knot-free, measured to the vessel wanted, and the whole sheet is taken off.
Boiling and flattening
The bark is boiled or steamed soft, then stacked and pressed flat before cutting, since uneven bark yields edges that go out of shape.
Making the bark canoe
The bark canoe uses pine strips for the frame, birch bark for the hull and pine pegs for the joinery, with no iron at all; the seams are caulked with pine resin and baked watertight.
Making the bark chest
The corners and rim of a bark chest take the most strain and are stitched with sinew and reinforced; his chests are ordered in batches by museums.
Engraving on bark
Engraving runs a blade tip over the finished surface to add detail without weakening the bark, a step added to meet modern taste.
Bark pyrography
Pyrography uses a heated tool instead of a blade, so the design suits broad fields better than engraving; it is a newly added branch of the craft.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Birch bark making is a unique handicraft of the northern hunting peoples of China, with strong ethnic characteristics and regional character. It is practiced in the Oroqen Autonomous Banner, Evenki Autonomous Banner, Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, and Ergun Left Banner (Genhe City) in Inner Mongolia, as well as in the Heilongjiang River valley.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Huashupi Making Craftsmanship · Huashupi Making Craftsmanship · Huashupi Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Given that protecting this craft is of extremely important significance, measures should be formulated and put into practice as soon as possible. Fu Zhanxiang (record from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Hezhe ethnicity, born in 1955, from Raohe, Heilongjiang. Representative inheritor of Birch Bark Making Craftsmanship, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the first national batch. To broaden the audience for birch bark products, he improved the traditional craft and produced new products that meet the aesthetic needs of people today. At the same time, he also innovated and developed several categories of products such as birch bark incised carving and pyrography. Many ethnic museums have specially ordered from him large quantities of traditional production and daily-life implements such as birch bark boats and birch bark cases. Fu Zhanxiang has received the honorary title of "Provincial Excellent Cultural Station Director" and currently has one apprentice.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Fuzhanxiang 01-0195
- Guobaolin 04-1865
- Wuxusheng 05-2778
- Ajilun
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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