China News Service, Fuzhou, October 31st: Zhang Guotian, "The King of Chopsticks" in Fuzhou: Let the culture of Chinese chopsticks be passed on from generation to generation

Author Zheng Jiangluo Peng Lifang

"5,000 years of splendid Chinese civilization, national style, surnames, twelve zodiac signs... can be reflected in a pair of small chopsticks." Director of Fuzhou Cangshan Tiantian Chopsticks Factory, known as Fuzhou's "King of Chopsticks" Zhang Guotian said so.

Zhang Guotian was born in Qi'an Village, Gaishan Town, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, known as the "Chopsticks Village". After graduating from high school, he entered the chopsticks factory to learn craftsmanship. Now, he has worked hard in the chopsticks industry for more than 40 years.

Zhang Guotian displays martial arts chopsticks. Photo by Zheng Jiangluo In Zhang Guotian's memory, at the end of the last century, Fuzhou had many chopstick factories and lacquer chopsticks workshops all over the countryside.

"Back then, chopsticks supported the development of Fuzhou's economy." Zhang Guotian told reporters that the chopsticks market in Fuzhou used to be very large. "When it was lively, the chopsticks in the south, south, and northwest of the country were all from Fuzhou."

After 2000, large chopstick factories closed down one after another, and now there are very few. Zhang Guotian's chopsticks factory is currently one of the few large factories in Fuzhou, and there are only a handful of chopstick factories that insist on producing "lacquer chopsticks".

The bronze chopsticks and hosta chopsticks collected by Zhang Guotian. Photo by Peng Lifang Zhang Guotian's chopsticks factory now has more than 40 veteran craftsmen, all of whom have worked for about 40 years. They are experts in the production of "lacquer chopsticks".

The chopsticks produced by these veteran artists are not only sold all over the country, but even exported to Japan, Southeast Asia and other countries.

The "lacquer chopsticks", commonly known as patent leather chopsticks, incorporates the lacquer craftsmanship of Fuzhou, and absorbs the characteristics of the Japanese Wakasa coated chopsticks.

Over the years, in the process of inheriting the lacquer chopsticks, Zhang Guotian has continuously added elements of the times to the traditional craftsmanship. He said, "The birthplace of chopsticks in the world is in China, and the inheritance of lacquer chopsticks is in our Fuzhou."

"One must be like chopsticks, standing upright and able to hold it down." "The pair of chopsticks means 'combination will benefit, but dividing will hurt'." Zhang Guotian clearly remembered the teachings of the elders at the dining table when he was a child. "Bits and pieces of culture are injected into the mind, formed by the teaching of the family."

As early as 1998, Zhang Guotian put forward the concept of "mother taught me to use chopsticks", elevating Chinese chopsticks to the level of cultural inheritance and promoting them in personal enterprises. He believes that when mothers teach children to eat with chopsticks, a pair of chopsticks is the best textbook; the patterns, colors, styles, shapes and colors of chopsticks record the civilization of an era.

In 2007, chopsticks culture was included in the Fujian Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage. The following year, Zhang Guotian became the first batch of provincial-level representative inheritors of the lacquer chopsticks making craftsmanship of the intangible cultural heritage project in Fujian Province. Over the years, he has been committed to promoting the culture of chopsticks and modernizing the traditional craftsmanship of lacquer chopsticks.

Zhang Guotian is not only an old craftsman who focuses on chopstick craftsmanship, but also an old "collector" who is keen to collect chopsticks of various dynasties and different styles.

The first pair of chopsticks he collected, "Huazhu", was produced during the Republic of China, which was also the starting point of Zhang Guotian's decades-long collection.

Zhang Guotian's most expensive collection is a pair of knives and chopsticks from the period of Genghis Khan. For this pair of knives and chopsticks, he contacted the seller of Xi'an antiques for three consecutive years to discuss the price, and finally bought it at a price of 60,000 yuan (the same below).

Today, Zhang Guotian collects more than 2,000 pairs of chopsticks, costing more than 20 million. But for him, the collection is a priceless treasure.

Zhang Guotian is over 60 years old and has devoted almost half his life to the chopsticks business. His biggest wish is to establish a Chinese chopsticks museum that integrates the experience hall and student teaching.

"Chopsticks are part of Chinese civilization." He hopes to spread the culture of chopsticks and pass it on from generation to generation.

"If there is a need, I will donate the collection to the country." Zhang Guotian is always ready to make a pair of chopsticks into a culture, so that the world can know the Chinese chopstick culture. This will also be the "Tao" that Zhang Guotian will continue to pursue for the rest of his life. (over)

[Editor: Sun Jingbo]