Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-124Traditional CraftsmanshipZhangzhou, FujianBatch 2 (2008)Newly Added Item

01 · Historical Records

The Cai family drums were already selling well in Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan in the mid-Qing dynasty; more than 80 percent of the drums used in temples throughout Fujian Province were made by "Caifumei" (Cai Fu-mei).

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Chinese ethnic musical instruments have a long history and an extended lineage; closely related to the cultural life of all ethnic groups, they are an important component of traditional Chinese culture. These instruments have simple and elegant shapes, reasonable structures, exquisite workmanship and pure tones, and have been loved by music lovers of all ages. Throughout history, whenever folk celebrations of festivals, weddings, funerals and auspicious events, or temple fairs, or when courts and government offices held major political, military and religious activities, ethnic musical instruments were performed. The craft of making ethnic musical instruments has become an important traditional manual skill in our country, transmitted to the present day with far-reaching influence. Chinese ethnic musical instruments come in a great variety, with superb craftsmanship, renowned at home and abroad. Among them, the making crafts of Changzi resonant-bronze instruments, Korean ethnic instruments, Suzhou ethnic instruments, Caifumei drum-making and Uyghur ethnic instruments are relatively distinctive. The Caifumei drum shop in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, was founded during the Qianlong reign and has been passed down for thirteen generations over a period of more than 200 years. The drumheads of Caifumei drums are made of tough southern water-buffalo hide, which is relatively costly, and therefore differs markedly from the products of other drum shops. The drums made by the "Caifumei" drum shop include temple drums, lion drums, dragon-boat drums, opera drums, waist drums, red drums and small Chaozhou drums, among 13 varieties and more than 20 specifications. Apart from differences in drumhead size, the sounds also vary in pitch.

Building the drum shell

Staves are joined and turned into a seamless ring, then hollowed smooth inside.

Curing the hide

Water buffalo hide is tawed, de-haired and dried so it can be stretched without cracking.

Stretching the drumhead

The head is fixed around the ring, tension increased gradually until the pitch is right.

Setting the pitch

Each of the thirteen types has its own pitch, checked by a drummer while the tension is still being adjusted.

Dragon-boat and opera drums

Dragon-boat drums beat with the races and opera drums follow the stage, each for its own occasion.

Keeping ancient drums and seals

Preserved drums and tools give physical evidence of older Zhango drum-making practice.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

In Zhangzhou, the drum shops center on Caifumei; the three lines of work—drum-body woodworking, hide tanning and drum-mounting assembly—are documented household by household, the various shop names line the streets one after another, and the sounds of drumming rise and fall, an old scene of Zhangzhou city. Caifumei's drumheads use only southern water-buffalo hide; the hide is expensive, and the material cost of a single temple drum equals several from other shops, so even when others cut prices it does not, and its reputation is thereby established. Of the 13 varieties and more than 20 specifications produced, temple drums, lion drums, dragon-boat drums, opera drums and waist drums are each matched to different sizes and pitches according to the occasion; once the buffalo hide on a drumhead is stretched and fixed it is set for life, and a single crack ruins it. Cai Zhiqiang learned the craft from his grandfather Cai Longtan, mastered all three of drum body, drumhead and drum mounting, and also preserved ancient drums and tools such as the dragon-boat drum and the "Tiao Jiaguan" seal.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Rescuing and excavating the Zhangzhou traditional drum-making craft represented by the Caifumei drum-making technique, and clarifying related issues such as the transmission system and production principles of Zhangzhou's drum-making industry and the historical ties between Zhangzhou's drum-making industry and Taiwan Province's traditional drum-making industry, will play a great role in promoting the further development of Fujian's ethnic folk crafts and enhancing the cultural identity across the Taiwan Strait. Cai Zhiqiang (per the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in July 1966, from Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province. Representative inheritor of the ethnic musical instrument-making craft (Zhangzhou Caifumei traditional drum-making technique), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in its fifth batch. Since 1977 he has studied the traditional drum-making craft with his grandfather Cai Longtan, and has proficiently mastered all the making techniques of drum body, drumhead and drum mounting, able to use various drum-making tools flexibly. The Caifumei drums he makes have fine workmanship, pure drum sounds, are beautiful and durable, and are deeply loved and highly praised by the public. At the same time, he has preserved fine ancient drums and making tools such as the dragon-boat drum and the "Tiao Jiaguan" seal, playing a certain role in the preservation and archiving of the Zhangzhou Caifumei traditional drum-making craft. In addition, he is devoted to the training of successors.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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