(Click to watch the video) "I can't let the lantern craftsmanship stop here..." This is what Lei Meili, the inheritor of Shangzhou lantern craftsmanship in Shangluo City, said the most when interviewing her. Lotus, crab, dragon, lion, panda, rabbit... On October 29, when I entere

(Click to watch the video)

"I can't let the lantern craftsmanship be broken here..." This is what Lei Meili, the inheritor of Shangzhou lantern craftsmanship in Shangluo City, said most when she interviewed her.

Lotus, crab, dragon, lion, panda, rabbit... On October 29, when I entered Lei Meili’s home, I was attracted by the colorful lantern works as soon as I entered the door. "Every time I make a lantern shape, I first lay a basic lantern base, and then make a movable lantern layout according to the situation. Just like this crab lantern, it can be moved with a simple operation after being connected." Lei Meili picked it up and spoke for a while. The moving crab lantern said to reporters.

It is understood that Lei Meili is 60 years old this year and is the third generation inheritor of Shangzhou lantern making skills. Influenced by her family and surrounding environment, lanterns occupy a very important position in her heart.

According to Lei Meili, his grandmother was proficient in paper-cutting, embroidery, and lantern skills, and her lotus lantern production can be said to be a household name in Shangzhou. Under the influence of my grandmother and mother, I have been learning to make lanterns since I was a child. "The doll lantern I am making is based on my grandmother's template. It's a pity that I didn't learn more of my grandmother's exquisite skills. What I can do now is pass on the lantern craftsmanship well." Lei Meili picked up the doll shape that was hugged together. The lantern said.

During the process of making lanterns, Lei Meili worked hard to restore the memory of her grandmother's steps in making lotus lanterns, from folding, clamping, kneading, kneading and dyeing the petals, and then to the finished product step by step. Every process was not sloppy.

"There are actually many processes for making traditional handmade lanterns. Whether it is a lotus lantern or other lanterns, it requires tedious and detailed processes such as preparing materials, making the lantern skeleton, pasting the skeleton, making petals, etc., before it can finally be condensed into a variety of lanterns. Lanterns, like this dragon-shaped lantern, took almost half a year to complete. "

In order to make complex lanterns such as dragons and lions, Lei Meili stayed up late at night to make them for decades, and her body was tired for a long time. She has few faults, but her desire to inherit the lantern craft has never given up in her heart.

"I have a lot of affection for lanterns." This can be deeply felt when talking to Lei Meili. She said: "It is something inherited in the bones."

Lei Meili serves as the provincial guardian of Shangzhou District, Shangluo City. The inheritor of the craftsmanship of Shangzhou lanterns, a project on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, she has produced many large and small lanterns over the years, recording the painstaking efforts and inheritance of skills. In Lei Meili's view, the inheritance of lantern crafts still has a long way to go. She told reporters: "Making lanterns is a long-standing cultural tradition of our Chinese nation. It has been passed down for several generations and cannot be stopped here. Now my son is gradually getting started. Helping me means passing on the lantern craftsmanship. I hope that more and more people will love and pay attention to traditional craftsmanship in the future and pass on our intangible cultural heritage.”

Source: Shangluo News Network

Author: Guan Xiao Tang Qian

Editor: Wu Han

Responsible editor: Han Ting