Hezhen Yupi Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Although many ethnic groups have had fish-skin culture in history, from the Qing dynasty to the present only the Hezhe people of Jiejinkou Township, Tongjiang City, Heilongjiang Province have inherited and carried it on. After the mid-20th century, fish-skin products were replaced by other articles, and this traditional craft gradually fell into disuse.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Fish-skin products use the skin of cold-water fish from the north as raw material; cold-water fish skin has a certain thickness and toughness, is fairly wear-resistant, and is convenient for use in production and daily life. Fish-skin culture is a distinctive culture existing in regions above 45 degrees north latitude. The Hezhe people have long made a living by fishing and hunting. They catch fish, eat fish, and use fish skin to cover houses, build boats, and make clothing, and in history were known to the world as the "fish-skin tribe." The traditional fish-skin technique includes a whole set of complex processing steps—flaying, drying, softening, piecing, cutting and sewing, and artistic decoration—and in the past Hezhe women could all master this skill proficiently. Veteran artisans have also used traditional techniques to create fish-skin shaman garments and a series of works on Hezhe customs. Some young people have developed and innovated, using the traditional fish-skin cut-and-paste technique to create modern fish-skin craft pieces and fish-skin paintings, extending the ancient fish-skin culture into fields such as tourism and art.
Hide from cold-water fish
Only cold-water fish give hide of the thickness and resilience to work with, and it is taken from the back of carp and other coarse fish.
Stripping, drying and softening
Strip, dry and soften — the last stage beats the hide with a wooden mallet and works in oil until it turns supple.
Houses, boats and clothes
They fished, ate fish and used the hide for houses, boats and clothes, and so were known in history as the fish-skin tribe.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Hezhe fish-skin making craft is concentrated and popular in the riverside areas of Tongjiang, Raohe, and Fuyuan in Heilongjiang Province where the Hezhe people live in compact communities; the confluence of the Songhua and Ussuri rivers is its birthplace. The Hezhe people have long made a living by fishing and hunting and were known in history as the "fish-skin tribe." The Heilongjiang Provincial Cultural Center is the item's protecting unit.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Due to the needs of museum collections and anthropological research, the older generation of Hezhe people in Jiejinkou Hezhe Township, Tongjiang City have on several occasions reproduced fish-skin garments for museums at home and abroad, enabling this craft to be transmitted in localized areas. At present, most of the elders who mastered the traditional fish-skin craft have passed away; only the elder You Cuiyu is still alive, and she is already nearly 80 years old. Given that the ancient Hezhe fish-skin making craft is on the verge of disappearing, it urgently needs to be rescued and protected. You Wenfeng (from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Female, Hezhe ethnicity, born 1952, a native of Tongjiang, Heilongjiang. A representative inheritor of the first national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage items, for the Hezhe fish-skin making craft. Fish-skin products are made using the skin of cold-water fish from the north; cold-water fish skin has a certain thickness and toughness and is wear-resistant. You Wenfeng began learning the traditional fish-skin craft from her mother You Cuiyu at the age of twelve, initially making simple leather jackets and trousers. After 1970 she learned to make complex fish-skin clothes, fish-skin "wengde," children's hats, fish-skin bags, and the like. The fish-skin garments she makes have fine, tight stitching and are sturdy and wear-resistant. Several sets of fish-skin garments that You Wenfeng made in collaboration with her mother have been collected by the Heilongjiang Provincial Ethnic Museum; she currently has two apprentices.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- You Wenfeng 01-0196
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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