Baskets that hold water
By Wu Jun
Translated by Beverly

俗话说:竹篮打水一场空.可是,永春的漆篮却做得滴水不漏.其中的奥妙,都在那一道道精湛的工艺里. As we know, one old saying goes like this: "a bamboo basket holds no water". However, lacquer baskets made in Yongchun are really watertight.

Qingtan Guo, a man of 79, has been making lacquer baskets consecutively for 60 years. Making lacquer baskets is no easy task. "The lamp bamboo is terrific for basketwork, because it has long knots and tender bark. The lamp bamboo has to be cut into long thin strips and then must be pulled into strings which are slightly thicker than hair, before they can be used for basketwork."said Qingtan Guo. The basketwork has to be boiled in whitewash for 2-3 minutes to make it moth resistant. Then comes the successive pasting of fine ashes, knitting in cloth and the painting of raw lacquer onto the basket. Then the craftsman draws or embosses colorful designs on the surface after the lacquer dries. The final step is to gild the basket after the rest of the procedures have been completed and then the lacquer basket is complete.

Among the various lacquer baskets, such as flat baskets, tray baskets (with only one tray) and compartment baskets (with more than one tray), the nine-dragon baskets are the most famous. A big pair of compartment baskets can hold enough dishes to serve a large feast, while the smallest tray basket has a diameter of only 3 centimeters. The golden nine-dragon basket, with a round tray in the middle and 6 to 8 small trays around the edge, is used as a tea set during the Spring Festival.

"The basket cover is extremely strong. It won't break even with a man standing on it. Generally, a lacquer basket has a life-span of 50-60 years." Said Qingtan Guo. According to "General Review of Modern Chinese Crafts", in Yongchun, there is a lacquer basket which was made in 1856 (6th year of the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, Qing Dynasty). It is over 100 years old, but it's still as good as the new ones.

In South Fujian, especially in rural areas, the lacquer basket is a household necessity. People use it to store food and then hang it from the roof beam, like an air cupboard. It is a clean and special way of storing food. Country folks are particularly attached to lacquer baskets. For example, at weddings, the lacquer basket is a necessary dowry.

Qingtan Guo loves making lacquer baskets very much and his workmanship is excellent. It is said that the reason his wife married him, despite having a huge mountain separating their homes, is that she admired his workmanship greatly.

Qingtan Guo gets up at 5:30 every morning to make lacquer baskets. His eldest son runs a lacquer basket workshop, which is fairly large in Yongchun. The products are not only sold in the domestic market, but also exported to South and East Asia.

 

 

Inscription on combating Dutch invaders
徐一鸣攻剿红夷刻石



The 60-word inscription on a cliff, outlining the historical events of Xiamen's military and folks from the Ming Dynasty combating Dutch invaders, is located inside Hongshan Park on Simingnan Road.
In 1601, the Dutch started to invade the coastal areas of South-East China and looted local residents. In June 1622, they first took Penghu and then advanced to Xiamen in October. Xu Yiming, the military leader then in Fujuan summoned troops and locals to fight back. There was a Xiamenese named Chen Zegeng, who sponsored a dare-to-die corps and led them on board the Dutch ship with poisoned wine, pretending to feast with the Dutch. After that, he commanded ships covered with oil-dipped hay heading toward the Dutch ship and lit a big fire which wiped out all the invaders.

That was the first victory by Xiamen's troops and locals against Dutch invaders.

The stone inscription, made in the Ming Dynasty (1622), is a historical record. The picture printed from it has been collected by the Chinese Historical Museum.

In 1982, rated as municipal cultural relic,
In 1985, rated as provincial cultural relic.

位于厦门思明南路鸿山公园内摩崖上,石刻全文60字,记述明朝军民抗击荷兰侵略者的事迹.明朝1601年,荷兰侵略者开始侵入我国沿海,进行海盗式的掠夺,1622年6月,又侵占了澎湖,是年十月进犯厦门.福建总兵徐一鸣率军民攻剿.厦门人陈则赓"赞划军门,谓夷性反复,宜剿抚并用."他自己出钱组织敢死队,带着放入毒药的酒肉,以犒劳士兵为名上了荷舰,在荷兰士兵喝下毒酒后,指挥士兵乘船"挟所制油蓑直扑其舰,乘风纵火",全歼了荷兰侵略者,取得了厦门军民第一次抗击荷兰侵略者的胜利.石刻是中国人民抗击外来侵略的实物资料,中国历史博物馆曾拓片珍藏.1982年公布为市级文物保护单位.1985年公布为省级文物保护单位.

 

 

Message Board

Contemporary art communicating exhibition
当代艺术交流展
Exhibitors: Chinese and Dutch artists
参展者:中国及荷兰艺术家
Venue: Exhibition Hall at the Art College, Jimei University
地点:集美大学艺术学院展厅
Time: May 24-30
时间:5月24-30日

Our symphony concert
"我们的交响乐"音乐会
Performer: Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra
演出单位:厦门爱乐乐团
Time: 19:30, May 28
时间:5月28日19:30
Venue: Music Island Philharmonic Hall, Wan Shou Lu at 67 Wen Yuan Lu
地点:音乐岛-爱乐厅(万寿路口-文园路67号原电力礼堂)

Concert celebrating the Children's Day (admission free)
儿童节免费音乐会
Performer: Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra
演出单位:厦门爱乐乐团
Time: 15:00 -16:30, June 1
时间:6月1日15:00 -16:30
Venue: Music Island Philharmonic Hall, Wan Shou Lu at 67 Wen Yuan Lu
地点:音乐岛-爱乐厅(万寿路口-文园路67号原电力礼堂)

Schedule of the 6 finals of the sixth National Dance Competition
第六届全国舞蹈比赛6场决赛日程
Time: 14:00, May 30
时间:5月30日14:00
Venue: Xiamen Art Theatre
地点:厦门艺术剧院
Time: 19:30, May 30
时间:5月30日19:30
Venue: Xiamen People's Convention Hall
地点:厦门人民会堂
Time: 14:00, May 31
时间:5月31日14:00
Venue: Xiamen Art Theatre
地点:厦门艺术剧院
Time: 19:30, May 31
时间:5月31日19:30
Venue: Xiamen People's Convention Hall
地点:厦门人民会堂
Time: 14:00, June 1
时间:6月1日14:00
Venue: Xiamen Art Theatre
地点:厦门艺术剧院
Time: 14:00, June 2
时间:6月2日14:00
Venue: Xiamen Art Theatre
地点:厦门艺术剧院

 

 

The Day After Tomorrow 后天 (又名末日浩劫)



Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum
Plot Outline: A climatologist tries to figure out a way to save the world from abrupt global warming. He must get to his youngest son in New York, which is being taken over by a new ice age.
This blockbuster will soon be shown at the Jinying Cinema on May 28.
5月28日起金鹰影院原声正式放映!5月26日20:00举行首映!
Venue: Jinying Cinema, on the western side of the 5th floor of Shimao Commercial Building
地点: 金鹰影院,世贸商城5楼西侧
Tel: 0592-5815000