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Zhang Xiaoquan - at the cutting edge of tradition
By Tan Weiyu |
May 14, 2009, Thursday
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A thriving identity in Hangzhou City and famous since the 17th century, Zhang Xiaoquan is the emblem of exquisite scissor craftsmanship. Tan Weiyu cuts to the chase.
Sharp, easy to open and close, and light to handle - the "Zhang Xiaoquan" brand has not only been the hallmark of Chinese scissors for 335 years but has also defined the country's cutting culture with its skilled forging techniques.
A thriving identity in Hangzhou City and famous since the 17th century, Zhang Xiaoquan is the emblem of exquisite scissor craftsmanship. It is said Zhang Xiaoquan scissors can easily cut 40 layers of bed sheets together.
The creator was Anhui Province native Zhang Sijia in the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Born into a family of scissor makers, Zhang earned his reputation in his township.
During the civil wars, he fled to Hangzhou to seek refuge. There the scissor maker set up his Zhang Da Long Scissors Store at the foot of Chenghuang Hill, dedicating his heart and soul to continuous technical innovations.
He melded steel with iron, a major reform in the then all-iron scissor-making craft, making the blades sharper and stronger. He also adopted a type of soft soil only found in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, which was used to carve the decorative handles.
When he died, his son Zhang Xiaoquan inherited the store and created a new brand, which has become today's famous Zhang Xiaoquan scissors.
Like many traditional, time-honored Chinese brands which have had interesting connections with royalty, Zhang Xiaoquan has a royal anecdote as well.
The story has it that one day, when the Qianglong Emperor was taking his journey to Hangzhou in plain-clothes, it began to rain. In order to find a shelter at the foot of the hill, the emperor hurriedly ran into a work room - Zhang's shop - and found himself surrounded by beautifully carved, shining, sharp-bladed scissors. Qianlong appreciated the craft greatly. He bought a pair of scissors and took them back to his palace. Thus Zhang Xiaoquan's scissors entered the royal palace and earned awards from the supreme authority.
Making Zhang Xiaoquan scissors in the traditional manner involves up to 72 separate processes. The most formidable step of all is setting a piece of steel in wrought iron, hammering this repeatedly, and then grinding it with mud bricks to develop a sharp edge.
Steel and iron do not naturally bind together. They have first be heated to more than 1,000 degrees Celsius in a kiln and then beaten together. You can see how hard it would have been for a craftsman more than 300 years ago to complete such a complex process.
The brand has simplified the 72 procedures into 24. But recently it has been reported that fewer than 20 craftsmen, most of them over 70 years of age, are now able to finish the entire 72 procedures and the original technique of plating steel is facing extinction.
This could be a little awkward for Zhang Xiaoquan, because the steel plating was the craft the brand became famous for.
However, the brand, crowned for over three centuries, has always been guaranteed and has been appreciated and accepted by the populace. Each generation of Zhang's family has worked hard to keep the reputation and tradition. It never stopped its technical innovations and innovations in raw material processing, design and product packaging.
It can produce 120 types of scissors to 360 specifications with an annual output of more than 45 million pieces, including sewing scissors, family scissors, garden scissors, office scissors, student scissors, kitchen utensils and knives.
Its King Scissors, 115 centimeters long and 56.64 kilograms in weight, have been listed in the Guinness World Record Book, while its smallest scissors are just 3 centimeters long and a few grams in weight.
Zhang Xiaoquan scissors are not only a daily household tool found in most Chinese homes, but also a souvenir of skillful craftsmanship for the many tourists who visit Hangzhou.
Sharp, easy to open and close, and light to handle - the "Zhang Xiaoquan" brand has not only been the hallmark of Chinese scissors for 335 years but has also defined the country's cutting culture with its skilled forging techniques.
A thriving identity in Hangzhou City and famous since the 17th century, Zhang Xiaoquan is the emblem of exquisite scissor craftsmanship. It is said Zhang Xiaoquan scissors can easily cut 40 layers of bed sheets together.
The creator was Anhui Province native Zhang Sijia in the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Born into a family of scissor makers, Zhang earned his reputation in his township.
During the civil wars, he fled to Hangzhou to seek refuge. There the scissor maker set up his Zhang Da Long Scissors Store at the foot of Chenghuang Hill, dedicating his heart and soul to continuous technical innovations.
He melded steel with iron, a major reform in the then all-iron scissor-making craft, making the blades sharper and stronger. He also adopted a type of soft soil only found in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, which was used to carve the decorative handles.
When he died, his son Zhang Xiaoquan inherited the store and created a new brand, which has become today's famous Zhang Xiaoquan scissors.
Like many traditional, time-honored Chinese brands which have had interesting connections with royalty, Zhang Xiaoquan has a royal anecdote as well.
The story has it that one day, when the Qianglong Emperor was taking his journey to Hangzhou in plain-clothes, it began to rain. In order to find a shelter at the foot of the hill, the emperor hurriedly ran into a work room - Zhang's shop - and found himself surrounded by beautifully carved, shining, sharp-bladed scissors. Qianlong appreciated the craft greatly. He bought a pair of scissors and took them back to his palace. Thus Zhang Xiaoquan's scissors entered the royal palace and earned awards from the supreme authority.
Making Zhang Xiaoquan scissors in the traditional manner involves up to 72 separate processes. The most formidable step of all is setting a piece of steel in wrought iron, hammering this repeatedly, and then grinding it with mud bricks to develop a sharp edge.
Steel and iron do not naturally bind together. They have first be heated to more than 1,000 degrees Celsius in a kiln and then beaten together. You can see how hard it would have been for a craftsman more than 300 years ago to complete such a complex process.
The brand has simplified the 72 procedures into 24. But recently it has been reported that fewer than 20 craftsmen, most of them over 70 years of age, are now able to finish the entire 72 procedures and the original technique of plating steel is facing extinction.
This could be a little awkward for Zhang Xiaoquan, because the steel plating was the craft the brand became famous for.
However, the brand, crowned for over three centuries, has always been guaranteed and has been appreciated and accepted by the populace. Each generation of Zhang's family has worked hard to keep the reputation and tradition. It never stopped its technical innovations and innovations in raw material processing, design and product packaging.
It can produce 120 types of scissors to 360 specifications with an annual output of more than 45 million pieces, including sewing scissors, family scissors, garden scissors, office scissors, student scissors, kitchen utensils and knives.
Its King Scissors, 115 centimeters long and 56.64 kilograms in weight, have been listed in the Guinness World Record Book, while its smallest scissors are just 3 centimeters long and a few grams in weight.
Zhang Xiaoquan scissors are not only a daily household tool found in most Chinese homes, but also a souvenir of skillful craftsmanship for the many tourists who visit Hangzhou.
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