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Tianzhu tools are back on the table
By Xu Wenwen |
March 30, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ONCE the essential eating utensils for every household in Yangtze River Delta, the Tianzhu chopsticks made from thin bamboo growing on Tianzhu Mountain in Hangzhou were as famous as the Wangxingji fan, Zhang Xiaoquan scissors and Dujinsheng brocade.
But they fell into oblivion in recent decades due to a drop in quality as well as fierce competition from chopsticks made of other materials. That was until a local man invested time and money into revving the distinctive chopsticks and their culture.
Wang Liandao is that very hero. More than a decade ago, the 64-year-old who used to be a successful businessman in the medical apparatus industry took the post of director of Hangzhou Tianzhu Chopsticks Factory.
Today, Tianzhu chopsticks are back on the market, being produced as tourist souvenirs and the factory is turning from deficit to profit. In 2009, the chopsticks were even approved as a Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Wang learned how to craft the chopsticks as an apprentice in his youth, but his interest in them was revived at the end of last century, when Hangzhou was deciding on gifts that were characteristic of the city.
Wang conjured up the idea of the "Hangzhou Specialty Box," containing four products representative of the region - a pair of Tianzhu chopsticks, a Wangxingji fan, a pair of Zhang Xiaoquan scissors and a Hangzhou silk scarf.
His suggestion was initially accepted by the local government. However, when the idea was being realized, he found that the chopsticks weren't included.
"It is because the quality of the Tianzhu chopsticks at that time was inferior to that of the other three 'treasures'," says Wang.
But surely the chopsticks were a prevalent tableware, so how could they be inferior? Wang tells the story.
Tianzhu chopsticks are made from bamboo with a small diameter found on Tianzhu Mountain, which is naturally as big as a chopstick is supposed to be. Its bamboo joint, which is airtight and solid, is used as the smaller tip for the chopstick, while the other end is tin-plated and the body is branded with patterns.
The chopsticks originated during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). One year, millions of pilgrims flocked to Tianzhu Temple on Tianzhu Mountain, leading to the temple's inadequate supply of food, as well as chopsticks.
Quick-thinking monks cut bamboo branches as simple chopsticks for pilgrims, who took them home since they believed the bamboo growing near the temple was blessed.
The chopsticks actually have lots of distinct advantages. They have the fragrance of bamboo and are resistant to mould as long as they are processed, while the bamboo green (the crust of bamboo) keeps out dirt.
During the 1980s, some rogue workshops based at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain made imitation Tianzhu chopsticks without abiding by the regulations and standard production process.
The cheap chopsticks they produced, which were substandard to those made using the authentic process, were subject to mildew and so coarse that they could scratch a diner's lips or tongue.
"A real Tianzhu chopstick uses smooth, straight Tianzhu bamboo, and has to be processed through 20-plus procedures, such as filtration, cutting, washing, steaming, boiling, polishing and pyrography," explains Wang. "So the chopsticks will be enduring, and unlike plastic chopsticks or painted chopsticks, they do not have toxic substances."
Situated in such a confused market, the authentic Tianzhu chopsticks suffered a loss of reputation and their market price was affected.
To make matters worse, the flood of other chopsticks, such as plastic and metal ones as well as one-off chopsticks captured a majority share of the market. As a result, Tianzhu chopsticks diminished and the Tianzhu Chopstick Factory collapsed.
Witnessing the decline bothered Wang a lot.
"I grew up at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain. I used my hometown's chopsticks since I was a baby and I learned the techniques to make them during my teens," says Wang. "I had to do something, I told myself."
In 2000 he brainstormed the idea of the "Hangzhou Specialty Box," which later failed.
"On one hand, the stereotype fettered people's thoughts so they assumed Tianzhu chopsticks were too substandard to be a Hangzhou treasure," he says. "On the other hand, as functional as chopsticks are, they are not creative or fancy."
For a long while, Wang pondered how to extend and enrich the chopsticks' culture. Gradually, an idea formed in his head - to merge profound traditional Chinese culture and Hangzhou local culture into the two thin sticks.
"Inheritance coupled with creation can save Tianzhu chopsticks," Wang says.
In 2006, he revived the old Hangzhou Tianzhu Chopsticks Factory and invested 2 million yuan (US$304,968), with the determination to forge a "high-end direction" for the bamboo sticks.
"Firstly, the manufacturing needed to follow the old process. For instance, paint isn't needed for Tianzhu chopsticks, making them eco-friendly," Wang explains.
"However, modern machines and modern standards were also required," he says. "I figured out a product that is expected to last longer needs a set of production standards, which old Tianzhu chopsticks did not have."
Wang, who boasts knowledge of medical apparatus, used this strength to improve the pyrography (technique used to scorch designs on the chopsticks) and cutting machines, which are more accurate now.
Meanwhile, he established a production standard for Tianzhu chopsticks and had it filed on record with the local government.
"Only when Tianzhu chopsticks were turned into a gift product could they get out of the tight spot," Wang says. "It is actually a product that can be forged to be superior."
He also broke the tradition that Tianzhu chopsticks do not have a chopstick rest, producing different rests to match different chopsticks.
But they fell into oblivion in recent decades due to a drop in quality as well as fierce competition from chopsticks made of other materials. That was until a local man invested time and money into revving the distinctive chopsticks and their culture.
Wang Liandao is that very hero. More than a decade ago, the 64-year-old who used to be a successful businessman in the medical apparatus industry took the post of director of Hangzhou Tianzhu Chopsticks Factory.
Today, Tianzhu chopsticks are back on the market, being produced as tourist souvenirs and the factory is turning from deficit to profit. In 2009, the chopsticks were even approved as a Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Wang learned how to craft the chopsticks as an apprentice in his youth, but his interest in them was revived at the end of last century, when Hangzhou was deciding on gifts that were characteristic of the city.
Wang conjured up the idea of the "Hangzhou Specialty Box," containing four products representative of the region - a pair of Tianzhu chopsticks, a Wangxingji fan, a pair of Zhang Xiaoquan scissors and a Hangzhou silk scarf.
His suggestion was initially accepted by the local government. However, when the idea was being realized, he found that the chopsticks weren't included.
"It is because the quality of the Tianzhu chopsticks at that time was inferior to that of the other three 'treasures'," says Wang.
But surely the chopsticks were a prevalent tableware, so how could they be inferior? Wang tells the story.
Tianzhu chopsticks are made from bamboo with a small diameter found on Tianzhu Mountain, which is naturally as big as a chopstick is supposed to be. Its bamboo joint, which is airtight and solid, is used as the smaller tip for the chopstick, while the other end is tin-plated and the body is branded with patterns.
The chopsticks originated during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). One year, millions of pilgrims flocked to Tianzhu Temple on Tianzhu Mountain, leading to the temple's inadequate supply of food, as well as chopsticks.
Quick-thinking monks cut bamboo branches as simple chopsticks for pilgrims, who took them home since they believed the bamboo growing near the temple was blessed.
The chopsticks actually have lots of distinct advantages. They have the fragrance of bamboo and are resistant to mould as long as they are processed, while the bamboo green (the crust of bamboo) keeps out dirt.
During the 1980s, some rogue workshops based at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain made imitation Tianzhu chopsticks without abiding by the regulations and standard production process.
The cheap chopsticks they produced, which were substandard to those made using the authentic process, were subject to mildew and so coarse that they could scratch a diner's lips or tongue.
"A real Tianzhu chopstick uses smooth, straight Tianzhu bamboo, and has to be processed through 20-plus procedures, such as filtration, cutting, washing, steaming, boiling, polishing and pyrography," explains Wang. "So the chopsticks will be enduring, and unlike plastic chopsticks or painted chopsticks, they do not have toxic substances."
Situated in such a confused market, the authentic Tianzhu chopsticks suffered a loss of reputation and their market price was affected.
To make matters worse, the flood of other chopsticks, such as plastic and metal ones as well as one-off chopsticks captured a majority share of the market. As a result, Tianzhu chopsticks diminished and the Tianzhu Chopstick Factory collapsed.
Witnessing the decline bothered Wang a lot.
"I grew up at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain. I used my hometown's chopsticks since I was a baby and I learned the techniques to make them during my teens," says Wang. "I had to do something, I told myself."
In 2000 he brainstormed the idea of the "Hangzhou Specialty Box," which later failed.
"On one hand, the stereotype fettered people's thoughts so they assumed Tianzhu chopsticks were too substandard to be a Hangzhou treasure," he says. "On the other hand, as functional as chopsticks are, they are not creative or fancy."
For a long while, Wang pondered how to extend and enrich the chopsticks' culture. Gradually, an idea formed in his head - to merge profound traditional Chinese culture and Hangzhou local culture into the two thin sticks.
"Inheritance coupled with creation can save Tianzhu chopsticks," Wang says.
In 2006, he revived the old Hangzhou Tianzhu Chopsticks Factory and invested 2 million yuan (US$304,968), with the determination to forge a "high-end direction" for the bamboo sticks.
"Firstly, the manufacturing needed to follow the old process. For instance, paint isn't needed for Tianzhu chopsticks, making them eco-friendly," Wang explains.
"However, modern machines and modern standards were also required," he says. "I figured out a product that is expected to last longer needs a set of production standards, which old Tianzhu chopsticks did not have."
Wang, who boasts knowledge of medical apparatus, used this strength to improve the pyrography (technique used to scorch designs on the chopsticks) and cutting machines, which are more accurate now.
Meanwhile, he established a production standard for Tianzhu chopsticks and had it filed on record with the local government.
"Only when Tianzhu chopsticks were turned into a gift product could they get out of the tight spot," Wang says. "It is actually a product that can be forged to be superior."
He also broke the tradition that Tianzhu chopsticks do not have a chopstick rest, producing different rests to match different chopsticks.
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