Father-son carpenters in Baoshan keep to traditional craft

An old man has been working as a carpenter for over 30 years in Baoshan City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, and now his son considers going on with a spirit of craftsman.

Liu Xiangde, aged 62, has developed an interest in hand drawing ever since he was a child and taken up the wood-carving for living in 1981, and now in his sixties he still set apart a few minutes to “give his mind a repast”.

“I watched my father carving wood everyday in my childhood, and hoped to become a craftsman like him when I grow up.” Influenced by the father, Liu’s son Kuanbing has also fallen in love with the handcrafting, and then he started learning crafting skills three years ago.

Driven by the love and concern for the traditional art and craft, the two carpenters carry on the handmade cutting work. “Handcrafted wood sculpture is a centuries-old culture, and we wouldn’t feel bored in the least when we are working on it, because we love what we are doing,” the father and son told the reporter during the interview. “But we are sad to see the traditional manufacture being stricken by the wide use of modern machinery.” 

“My son is just in his first year of primary school, but he told me yesterday that he wants to learn drawing with his grandpa.”  Kuanbing said excitedly, and they seem to find some faith to stay this way because Chinese people come to realize the importance of tradition, and start to advocate craftsmanship among manufacturers these years.

Source: Baoshan Daily; trans-editing by He Lin and Wang Shixue