The village smithy is a popular fix-it man
Print Edition
From kettles and strongboxes to keys and locks, Wang Jinquan is a veritable Mr Fixit. The 63-year-old farmer in the suburban Qingpu District runs a small business as a blacksmith and locksmith in a workshop on his property.
“I might be one of the last blacksmiths around,” Wang says as he hammers on a metal bucket.
Wang both makes and repairs things. Hammers, rulers, scissors and marker pens are scattered around his small workshop, which also includes machines to drill, weld and cut metal, and two lathes to make keys and locks.
“As a locksmith, I’m registered with the local police station,” he says.
The workshop also features modern touches, such as a television, radio and Internet-linked computer.
Wang says he uses the computer to teach himself how to repair modern equipment and to download Chinese operas for entertainment.
Wang learned his skills from his father when he was a teenager. The pair had a small shop on a nearby street 30 years ago.
“Everyone on the street knows me,” Wang says.
During lulls, he and other older farmers from the village sit in his courtyard, smoking and chatting.
Wang repairs electrical cookers, air conditioners and tractors, and unlocks cars for careless drivers who locked their keys inside.
“We farmers are frugal,” Wang says. “Not like today’s young people, who often buy new things if the old ones stop working. We repair.”
His business is always good, though it has changed with the times. Wang’s focus has shifted from repairing agricultural tools to fixing modern electrical appliances.
In the spare time, he invents new gadgets.
One of them is a stainless steel barrel that can be used on the annual Qingming Festival, or better known as tomb-sweeping day, to burn fake money to honor ancestors. Wang added a thin shelf with holes so that when the money is burned, cold air drops and hot air rises, effectively decreasing the smoke. The ash falls to the bottom through the holes, making collection easy.
“It’s very popular among older people,” he says.
Another of his inventions is a sewage remover. It is a long steel rod with flexible tongs at one end.
“When you turn the handle on the side, the tongs work,” he says. “It’s very practical in the countryside.”
Companion book
A well-thumbed copy of “Popular Sheet Metal Operation Techniques” has been Wang’s companion for more than two decades.
The margins of its pages are filled with notes and sketches entered over the years.
“All farmers are not illiterate,” Wang says. “I bet I am better at design drawing than some college students.”
Products he makes sell well because they are cheap, practical and durable. A dustpan costs 10 yuan (US$1.60), and a spoon as long as a man’s arm is 15 yuan. A key is priced at 1 yuan.
“My customers are usually fellow villagers,” he says. “I’ve known them for years.”
Wang buys his raw materials in the hardware markets of Qibao and Zhuanqiao towns in Minhang District. He usually spends about 40,000 yuan a year.
He once tried to shop online but gave up in the end.
“It’s convenient,” he admits, “but I couldn’t be guaranteed of quality. Also, as a blacksmith for more than 40 years, I know prices very well and I can actually find better bargains in local markets.”
His workshop is really the center of his daily life. He has set up his own heating system in the room.
“In winter, it’s like a paradise where I can enjoy tea, television and Chinese operas I download from the Internet,” he says.
Wang says he will stay in business as long as there is demand for his services. He has only one daughter, but he doesn’t plan to pass his skills on to her or anyone else.
“Fewer people are doing this sort of work today,” Wang says. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Times change. If old skills cannot be kept, then so be it.”
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