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Trying to preserve a range of skills
By Xu Wenwen |
August 30, 2011, Tuesday
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DECADES ago when there was no gas burner or microwave ovens, plasterer Chen Gengyin was the busiest person in his village as almost everyday he got an order to build a cook stove, or zaotou.
In old China, a cook stove was required in every household, and was built by bricks and mud. It was always set in a corner of the kitchen, leaving enough space between the back of the stove and wall so people could tend the fire.
Chen, 73, was once known as the best plasterer in Chongxian Village, Yuhang District, not because of his bricklaying skills, but because of his ability to beautifully paint stoves from bottom to top.
"In eastern China, every plasterer taking charge of building a stove was also responsible for painting patterns, such as birds, fish, flowers and plants, as well as scenery and fairy tales," Chen says.
No records have been found as to when this practice started, but according to local plasterers, paintings on stoves started at least two centuries ago and was invented by some plasterers who scribbled pot ashes on newly made white stoves.
That's why the paintings were black-and-white at first. Later, people wanted more detailed pictures with vivid colors and strong contrast.
"The background color of cook stove paintings is always white, and every pattern is outlined in black," Chen says. "We use red, yellow and blue the most, making the whole work bright and sprightly."
Chen learned to be a cook stove maker when he was 25 because of his strong interest in drawing and painting since boyhood. Though he learned by himself, Chen soon became a well-known zaotou painting master, whose works are scattered throughout Hangzhou and nearby cities.
Chen says most cook stoves consist of a base, the body that embraces embedded pans and the chimney pipe. The height of the whole stove is about 2 meters, while the width is around 1.5 meters.
On the chimney pipe there are three niches, one for a statue of the Kitchen God, a Chinese domestic god that protects the hearth and family, and two below for seasonings.
The plasterer's duty also includes designing the painting's layout since the stove is divided into several parts. The basic principle is that every blank space should be painted. The paintings on base, body and chimney pipe need to have the same general theme.
Cook stoves could also feature calligraphy with auspicious phrases like "Delicious Food" or "Good Luck in Everything." Sometimes, decorative borders, like waves or clouds are used to frame the stove.
According to local tradition, plasterers are supposed to finish the piece of work without any modification, otherwise the stove would bring bad luck to the household, which makes the process more demanding.
Chen who has made stoves for decades has never revised his work - an important reason for his good reputation.
The grassroots art form even managed to survive the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) although today few households now use an old stove.
"In Yuhang, I am the only one who can paint stoves," says Chen. Still, he hasn't painted one in years.
"I understand why it has faded, but I also want to save the culture," Chen adds. "I am working on drawing stove paintings on paper, so someday our descendants can appreciate the interesting culture."
In old China, a cook stove was required in every household, and was built by bricks and mud. It was always set in a corner of the kitchen, leaving enough space between the back of the stove and wall so people could tend the fire.
Chen, 73, was once known as the best plasterer in Chongxian Village, Yuhang District, not because of his bricklaying skills, but because of his ability to beautifully paint stoves from bottom to top.
"In eastern China, every plasterer taking charge of building a stove was also responsible for painting patterns, such as birds, fish, flowers and plants, as well as scenery and fairy tales," Chen says.
No records have been found as to when this practice started, but according to local plasterers, paintings on stoves started at least two centuries ago and was invented by some plasterers who scribbled pot ashes on newly made white stoves.
That's why the paintings were black-and-white at first. Later, people wanted more detailed pictures with vivid colors and strong contrast.
"The background color of cook stove paintings is always white, and every pattern is outlined in black," Chen says. "We use red, yellow and blue the most, making the whole work bright and sprightly."
Chen learned to be a cook stove maker when he was 25 because of his strong interest in drawing and painting since boyhood. Though he learned by himself, Chen soon became a well-known zaotou painting master, whose works are scattered throughout Hangzhou and nearby cities.
Chen says most cook stoves consist of a base, the body that embraces embedded pans and the chimney pipe. The height of the whole stove is about 2 meters, while the width is around 1.5 meters.
On the chimney pipe there are three niches, one for a statue of the Kitchen God, a Chinese domestic god that protects the hearth and family, and two below for seasonings.
The plasterer's duty also includes designing the painting's layout since the stove is divided into several parts. The basic principle is that every blank space should be painted. The paintings on base, body and chimney pipe need to have the same general theme.
Cook stoves could also feature calligraphy with auspicious phrases like "Delicious Food" or "Good Luck in Everything." Sometimes, decorative borders, like waves or clouds are used to frame the stove.
According to local tradition, plasterers are supposed to finish the piece of work without any modification, otherwise the stove would bring bad luck to the household, which makes the process more demanding.
Chen who has made stoves for decades has never revised his work - an important reason for his good reputation.
The grassroots art form even managed to survive the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) although today few households now use an old stove.
"In Yuhang, I am the only one who can paint stoves," says Chen. Still, he hasn't painted one in years.
"I understand why it has faded, but I also want to save the culture," Chen adds. "I am working on drawing stove paintings on paper, so someday our descendants can appreciate the interesting culture."
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