But not every young man is willing to pass on this craft like Lao Niu's son. "This industry is different from other industries, it's too difficult to persevere, and I can't engage in this industry." Liu Tingli's son said.

Because of the hardship, because of the inability to make money, no one is willing to learn to strike iron anymore. The same is true of Zhao Lianxiang's family, the eldest son who had fought with Zhao Lianxiang for a few years and a few apprentices who came to learn the craft finally gave up. It turned out that there were still a few blacksmiths in the village, and they all changed careers later. Now, only Zhao Lianxiang is still playing a sledgehammer.

"Although the Zhangqiu iron pot is on fire now, there are only a handful of Zhangqiu blacksmiths, and who can still endure this hardship among the young people now, and this craft is not something that can be learned in a day or two." Liu Tingli's worries are also the voices of many old blacksmiths.

"What is the intangible cultural heritage, that is, this craft is about to disappear, so it is protected, my biggest dream is to build a blacksmith museum, so that more people can understand this craft, and there can be no successor." Lao Niu said.

Whenever I heard "Ding Dong, Ding Dong ......", when the sound of striking iron from far and near sounded one after another, I knew that the blacksmith Master Liu and his apprentice were pushing a wheelbarrow to walk through the streets and alleys to provide door-to-door service......

During the wheat harvest and autumn harvest season, blacksmith Master Liu and his apprentices would come to the remote villages in Luzhong to build farming tools for everyone. With his subdued shout, the villagers hurried home to rummage through the boxes and cabinets, and found the rusty, curly bladed hoes, sickles, shovels, and other objects in the house to quench and forge.

I saw Master Liu put down the cart by the school in the center of the village, stretched out two big hands covered with calluses and ravines, took off his dusty and oil-stained coat, revealed his dark intertwined muscles, moved the household goods off the cart one by one, and began the preparations before striking iron.

With the clay stove, the firewood is lit and the black coal is put in, and a wooden air box is pulled to blow "ba, da, ......", and the flames in the stove are rising. With the need for heating, the bellows will continue to accelerate in a smooth and symmetrical rhythm, and the flames in the stove will continue to jump with the beat of the bellows, at this time, Master Liu methodically put the iron into the furnace and kept calcining, under the gaze of everyone, when the iron was burned red, he quickly clamped out the iron with iron tongs and put it on the anvil neatly. Master Liu holds a small hammer to fight, and the apprentice holds a sledgehammer to forge. Wherever Master Liu's small hammer hits, the apprentice's sledgehammer will follow it accurately, without bias or obliqueness, and with tacit understanding.

Big hammer and small hammer, you come and go, the hammer jingles, the rhythm is clear, sonorous and pleasant, and the sparks are splashing, like a beautiful music resounding in the sky. Finally, Master Liu put the iron utensils into a large iron bucket filled with water, and a burst of white smoke rose with a "snort". As a result, the iron ingested the essence of water and quenched it black and shiny.

In the amazed gaze of everyone, the hard iron was dramatically turned into a pickaxe for digging the earth, bent into a sickle for harvesting, and a shovel for digging the ground...... The wonderful craftsmanship of the master and apprentice won everyone's applause.

During the work break, Master Liu introduced to me that ironwork seems to be rough work, but it is actually very particular. To make a decent iron tool, it generally takes five or six processes. The first step is the option, followed by heating, which mainly puts the forged iron into a vigorous furnace fire and burns it red.

The key to this step is to control the heat, which can neither be too soft nor too hard. The third step is hammering. In the forging process, mainly by visual inspection and years of experience, the iron is constantly turned, and the shape you want is easily created, and finally it becomes the ideal object.

After this process is completed, the finished product will also go through grinding to make the edge thinner, and only the sharpened iron will become sharp and can come in handy. Listening to Master Liu's gushing introduction, looking at his face that has been baked by the furnace all the year round and turned black and red, and the various furniture stacked in front of him that have been tempered and forged, I understand the truth that "iron needs its own hardness", and at the same time, I also understood a lot of life and life principles.

With the changes of the times, iron, as a primitive forging process, has gradually faded out of people's sight since the eighties of the last century.

As the saying goes, iron needs to be hard. However, with the development of society and the progress of science and technology, the ancient craft of iron-striking has slowly faded out of people's sight, and it is even more difficult to find a trace of blacksmithing.

However, there is also an ironsmith shop in Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan, where a 72-year-old blacksmith interprets this ancient profession with his own actions and perseverance.

The son inherited his father's business for 57 years

When the reporter approached the Zhangmutouwei section of Zhangmutou Tai'an Road, he would hear the sound of "clanging" from time to time. There is an iron-striking shop on the side of the road, the owner of the iron-striking shop is named Zhang Chunxiang, and the villagers are used to calling him Uncle Zhang, who is 72 years old this year.

Although the old man Zhang Chunxiang, who is over seventy years old, has silver hair, he looks energetic and radiant, especially the strong muscles on his body are completely comparable to those of young people. After entering the store with the elderly, you can see that the area of this iron-striking shop is not large, there are about ten square meters, the facilities are very simple, the room is placed with air hammers, grinders, electric welding machines, cutting machines, coal stoves and other iron-striking tools, and some iron products such as shovels and shovels that have been processed are placed on the ground.

"I've been in this business for more than 50 years, and I've been learning the art of blacksmithing from my father since I was 15 years old, and I've been doing it ever since." Zhang Chunxiang said with emotion that in the past, there were nearly ten blacksmiths of all sizes in Zhangmutou, but later with the development of society, the business of blacksmiths became more and more deserted, and many blacksmiths were closed and changed, and now there is only one left in Zhangmutou.

"When I first learned how to make iron with my father, I traveled with him everywhere and went to various villages to make iron. At that time, it was mainly used to build some hoes, iron rakes and other agricultural tools for the villagers. Zhang Chunxiang said that after the reform and opening up, he opened a blacksmith shop near Zhangmutou Central Primary School, and moved to what is now Tai'an Road in 1998.

During the conversation, one of the villagers took a shovel that was not sharp enough to come to Mr. Zhang for repair. I saw the old man put the shovel that needed to be trimmed into the burning charcoal fire, and from time to time added some charcoal to it, and after a few minutes, his left hand quickly transferred it to the big anvil with iron tongs and began to forge it.

After a series of "clanging" sounds, the iron gradually took shape. After beating several times, Mr. Zhang put the shovel into the cooling water on the side, and with a "squeak", a burst of white smoke suddenly floated up, and the quenching was completed, and an old shovel was as sharp as ever.

Zhang Chunxiang said that each agricultural tool needs to go through more than 10 processes such as burning, beating, bending, blade training, forming, quenching and polishing before it can be completed. Striking iron is not only a work of strength, but also a work of technology. There are techniques for the degree of firing of the iron, the strength and rhythm of the hammering, and the time of quenching.

Zhang Chunxiang's various agricultural tools are strong, sharp and durable, and he is a well-known local blacksmith. Many young men came to learn from him, and he accepted four apprentices successively. With the development of the city, other blacksmith shops in the vicinity have closed down one after another, but Zhang Chunxiang's shop has always had a good business. Many people from nearby towns and streets, and even customers in Shenzhen, will come to him for help.

On one of the doors of the blacksmith shop, the two lines of big characters written in white chalk are particularly eye-catching: "The three lines of life in the world are hard, and the boat is beaten and the tofu is grinded". "In the past, my family was poor, and learning to strike iron was equivalent to having the ability to eat." Zhang Chunxiang recalled that the industry of iron-striking was very difficult, especially in June, when it was like roasting in a furnace.

"In recent years, there have been very few farm tools, mainly to repair some farm tools for the villagers, and often do some iron processing work for some factories." Zhang Chunxiang said frankly that with the progress of society, the manual skill of iron-making has gradually been replaced by advanced machines, and the business has become more and more deserted, and his apprentices have also changed careers. "Now I'm alone in the store, and I usually take a lot of work."

Perhaps one day, the craft will be lost. Zhang Chunxiang seems to understand this. "It's just that I've been working for a lifetime, I don't want to lose this craft, I usually do it when I have a job, and when I don't have a job, I drink tea and chat with a few old friends." Zhang Chunxiang smiled kindly.

The iron-striking men were naked, their arms black and thick, and when the red-hot iron was placed on the anvil, they spat in their palms and picked up the hammer and struck it incessantly

My son, who was reading a book, asked me, "Mom, what do you mean by 'striking iron and being hard'?" "I told him that it means that you need to have strength and skill in striking iron. I thought I had explained it concisely enough, but my son was still confused, "What is iron?" "Yes! Iron striking gradually disappeared from people's lives, and watching iron striking was just a memory of my childhood.

Striking iron is a primitive forging process, which was common in the countryside before the eighties of the last century. We call the iron-struck "iron-screwers."

At that time, there were occasional blacksmiths in the village, and children would gather around to watch for a long time. They set up a big stove under the big locust tree, set up a bellows by the hearth, and a person sat and kept pulling the bellows, and the wind blew into the stove, and the flames in the hearth jumped straight up.

The iron to be forged was first burned red in the furnace, and then an older man was put on the anvil with iron tongs, and the one who pulled the bellows also stood up, and picked up a sledgehammer with another man, and there was a clanging of blows, most of which were large objects.

Small objects are generally operated by two people, one of whom holds a small hammer in his right hand, a pair of tongs in his left hand, and the other holds a sledgehammer to strike. We don't care about what the hammer hits or how it goes, we just like to see the sparks splash when the hammer falls, and we love to listen to the tinkling thump.

Sometimes, the iron striker would put the finished thing into the water, and with the "squeak" sound, a puff of white smoke would come out, and we all opened our eyes in surprise, and while sniffing, we fanned the strange smell that wafted out with the white smoke. The boys are bold and like to gather around the iron-strikers, and occasionally sparks splash on them, causing a scream, and the iron-strikers will shout: "Stay away! Far away! ”

I remember that the ironists were naked, and their arms were black and thick, and when the red-hot iron was placed on the anvil, they spit in the palms of their hands, and then picked up the hammer and kept beating.

In the jingling thump, my heart tightened as the sparks flew down, and I was always worried that the flying sparks would burn them. In fact, Mars often falls on them, even on their bare arms and hands, but they are never heard screaming.

The things made of iron include hoes, guillotines, sickles, shovels and other production tools, as well as razors, kitchen knives, door knockers and other supplies, which are closely related to the lives of thousands of households. I remember that at that time, my grandfather would often say, "Why hasn't the iron striker come yet?" "When they came, they sent a dull hoe for milling, or a scrap of iron for them to make a small shovel.

After the disintegration of the production team, the iron-striking team gradually disappeared from people's field of vision.

In Zuketang Village, Futian Street, Yiwu, a low and transparent blacksmith shop stands stubbornly on the side of the road. "Jingle Bell...... Jingle ......", a crisp and rhythmic sound of striking from time to time attracted passers-by to come to explore.

The fire in the furnace is blazing, and the owner of the blacksmith, 56-year-old Jin Hougao, is holding an iron tong in one hand, skillfully picking up a piece of iron, and putting it in the roaring fire to grill, and pulling the bellows with the other hand to blow the wind, and the fire gradually increases. He took out the reddish iron and placed it on the iron pier, and the hammer fell, and the iron sparks splashed everywhere......

"Make a red furnace, burn black charcoal, sit south and face north to fight things." Blacksmith, a poet immortal Li Bai's pen with some chivalrous occupation, but in recent years, with the development of the machinery manufacturing industry, has gradually disappeared. However, in the city, there are still some persistent people who still adhere to this craft.

"In 1948, in order to make a good living, my old father went to the vicinity of Catxi, Jiangdong Street, to worship the old blacksmith as a teacher and become an apprentice, and nearly 70 years have passed in a flash." Jin Hougao said that with the addition of his father's masters, he is considered the fourth generation of blacksmiths.

Seeing the reporter, Jin Hougao excitedly moved out of the "old antique" at home and couldn't wait to demonstrate the traditional blacksmithing. "Without a little mechanical force, just human and natural reactions, I can punch you a sharp knife." Between the words, there was a look of pride.

Outside, the cold wind was blowing; Inside, the fire is light and jumping. After the iron was burned red, Jin Hougao chose a pair of pliers from the tools lined up to bite the iron and hammer it with a hammer; After making a little shape, he put the iron on the blacksmith table, and swung the hammer with his father Kim Ji-sun, and struck it continuously with "ding ding".

After the iron was beaten into shape, it was then quenched in the furnace, and the fire reflected the faces of the father and son red, and fine beads of sweat oozed from their faces, and their eyes were so enthusiastic and focused.

As the saying goes: There are three hardships in the world, and the boat grinds tofu with iron. Since ancient times, iron-striking has been a difficult industry. The blacksmith shop was very simple, and all kinds of iron tools and tools stuffed the hut to the brim, and the iron filings flying out of the perennial beating "dyed" everything black.

"In the early years, blacksmiths carried their burdens and walked the streets and alleys to make a living, and having an ironsmith shop was already the dream of many ironsmiths." A grain basket, containing a few tools, plus a blower, sleeping in the open air, wherever you go, where you hit, Jin Hougao said that this is the true portrayal of the blacksmith at that time.

Put the basket in place, fill it with mud, and when it is full, build a circle of bricks on top of it, form a stable structure in a square, and start to ignite the fire. "Iron is scrap iron from every household, and charcoal can be bought everywhere. As soon as the blower is turned on, it is the old blacksmith's operating table. ”

As soon as the blower was pulled, the flames in the "hearth" burst out. As the heating is needed, the bellows will accelerate in a smooth and symmetrical rhythm, and the flames in the furnace will jump with the beat of the bellows and rise in the strong wind.

Jin Hougao said that to make an iron tool, it generally has to go through five or six processes, starting from the selection of materials, to heating, staring at the fire, hammering, quenching, and grinding...... Each step requires the presence of a highly experienced master. "The fire has passed, the direction has deviated, the force is greater or smaller, sometimes it is only a slight deviation, maybe this iron tool will be scrapped."

"The blacksmith must have a ruler in his heart, and with his eyesight, he can create the ideal shape in the continuous turning of the iron, relying on the 'kung fu' accumulated over time." Jin Hougao said that when burning iron, the heat should be accurately controlled, and the degree of red burning of iron is also divided.

Iron men are never afraid of fire, and it is common to be scalded by flying sparks. Especially in the hot summer, it is already stuffy and uncomfortable for ordinary people to stay under the fan and do nothing, and the blacksmith still needs to guard the stove and wield a sledgehammer.

"Many blacksmiths are forced to make a living when they are young, and they are reluctant to give up when they are old because of a complex in their hearts, like my father, who always wants to come to the blacksmith to help at the age of 86." Jin Hougao said with emotion.

Jin Hougao's 86-year-old father still loves to come to the blacksmith shop to practice his craft.

The times are developing, machines far exceed human capacity, and now few people use this traditional skill, coupled with many farmers out of the land, no longer farming for a living, but also let iron farming tools lose its original vast market.

As an ancient mode of production, from the rise and fall of the art of ironmaking, it also reflects the progress of the times, and the powerlessness of the blacksmith who has risen and fallen in the times is even more difficult to confide.

The products of these high-tech ironshops have been reduced from a complete range of hoes, eight-foot nail rakes, axes, scissors, and spatulas in the early years to only kitchen knives and sugarcane knives.

"My father, Jin Jishan, began to learn to strike iron at the age of 16, and has been playing until he is now 86 years old. Jin Hougao said that some people say that they are too stubborn, and the times are developing, so why not abandon this dirty and tiring job and find a new way out.

"That's because they don't know the business. The sound of striking iron in our ears is like a pleasant music, and we can never give up after listening to it too much. What was passed down by the ancestor more than 2,000 years ago must not be lost, it is not only a production tool, but also an 'old man' who has grown up with our generation. Jin Hougao's tone was a little dazed.

"You see, this wooden blower has a history of more than 60 years, and it was transmitted to me from my father's hand, and the tools at that time were very simple, that is, a hollow out of the middle of the wood, and a push-pull device, all relying on manpower." Jin Hougao said that watching the flames in the hearth jump rhythmically with the wind released by the blower, it was as if he was pushing and pulling an accordion in his hand, playing his family's ups and downs in his iron-making career.

Over the years, with the wish that the craft of iron can be passed on from generation to generation, in order to adapt to the modern production and lifestyle, Jin Hougao is also improving the added value of iron products through his own efforts, introducing modern equipment to improve production efficiency, and applying to join the sixth batch of Yiwu intangible cultural heritage representative project list, starting a cultural signboard.

Although tradition and modernity collide with each other, it also revives this almost lost craft. "But no matter how you transform, you can't forget your roots, where you can use handicraft, we will always stick to it, otherwise it will be the same as mechanization, and it will lose its own characteristics." Jin Hougao said that the guests who came to the door were looking for these down-to-earth things.

"My father said that as long as he had the strength, he would keep fighting, so we would stay with him. Life is created by yourself, just like the spark that bursts out when you strike iron, only the more focused you are, the more brilliant it will be. Jin Hougao said firmly.

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