After more than 100 processes such as drawing, material selection, soaking, bonding, and processing, a high-quality traditional horn bow can be created.
Ma and his neighbors sort the cow tendon thread used to make horn bows in the yard.
Ma Guocai and the traditional horn bow he made. Qi Wanqiang.
In Maharagou, in the southern mountains of Ledu District, Haidong City, Qinghai Province, there is a very inconspicuous small village - Hedong Village, Chengtai Township, there is a craftsman named Ma Guocai in the village, he has been silently inheriting the traditional folk production method of ox horn bow left by his ancestors, and carrying forward this traditional skill that exudes a strong historical and cultural atmosphere with a pair of calloused hands.
There is a saying in the Ledu area: "Horse racing in the north mountain, archery in the south mountain." "Since ancient times, archery and horse racing have been two folk activities that have been passed down for a long time in the north and south mountains on both sides of the Huangshui River. Among them, Nanshan archery is a traditional sport that has endured for hundreds of years.
The history of making traditional ox horn bows can be traced back to the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. His great-grandfather, Ma Shangyou, was a skilled bow-maker and was known as "a bow" by the locals, a reputation that has been passed down by word of mouth for more than 100 years. His grandfather, Ma Bingfu, inherited his father's business and received the true inheritance from his father, and carried forward the art of making horn bows. In the generation of Ma Guocai's father, Ma Jianbang, he grew up in the traditional horn bow making environment, and while inheriting the traditional production skills, he also gave the horn bow new elements through continuous learning.
In Ma Guocai's memory, when he was very young, he followed his father Ma Jianbang to a famous family of archers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu and other places, learning art while earning money to support his family. During this period, they came across an old "Balinese bow" (ancient bow name) used in the Qing Dynasty martial arts hall, and they spent most of their savings to bring this bow back to their hometown and began to explore the road of intensive research.
It is precisely because of this "Balinese bow" that a new element has been injected into the Ma family's traditional horn bow making skills. At the end of the day's work, Ma Guocai and his father sat cross-legged at the kang table, dismantled the parts of the bow one by one under the dim oil lamp, drew them one by one on straw paper, marked the length and size, and recorded them according to their knowledge. On weekdays, they searched for the same materials such as mulberry wood and buffalo horns, and finally worked hard to make a one-to-one restoration bow.
Learning is about better innovation. Ma Guocai and his father Ma Jianbang, combined with the climatic conditions in Qinghai and the habit of using bows and arrows, moderately adjusted the size and production materials of the "Bali bow" to form two kinds of horn bows suitable for different purposes - big bows and horse bows. The big bow is mainly used by adults to practice archery and participate in competitions on a daily basis;The horse bow, which is small in size, is perfect for small children to practice riding and shooting.
Ma Guocai, who has been making horn bows with his father since he was sensible, has abandoned his craft and gone out to work for many years in order to make a living. Eventually, however, he returned to his hometown, picked up dusty tools, and sat around the fire with his children on quiet evenings in the countryside, relearning the long-held craft.
Ma Guocai's perseverance is not alone. In recent years, the state attaches great importance to the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and the whole society has formed a consensus that protecting, inheriting and making good use of intangible cultural heritage is of great significance for continuing the historical context, strengthening cultural self-confidence, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and building a socialist cultural power.
With the support of the policy of "party building leading + intangible cultural heritage, boosting the cultural self-confidence of the masses" in Ledu District, Ledu Guocai Cultural Tourism Development was established in Hedong Village in 2016, based on the production and sales of tourist souvenirs, traditional horn bows and other businesses, and gradually became bigger and stronger. Ma Guocai's daughter Ma Suming, villagers Liu Jiwen, Ma Hongmei and others have become the fifth generation inheritors of traditional horn bow making. The horn bows they produce are exported to Hebei, Xinjiang, Gansu and other places, and the people in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Xining City and other places in Qinghai Province also come here, and the horn bows are deeply loved by archery enthusiasts of all nationalities.
The inheritance of traditional culture is of great significance to promote cultural diversity and enhance cultural self-confidence. As the inheritor of the family's traditional horn bow, Ma Guocai adheres to the spiritual home with a persistent belief.
This article** was taken by Qi Wanqiang
Qinghai** December 29, 2023 9th Edition: Society).
Statement: The above content is all original manuscripts of Qinghai**, and it is strictly forbidden to **!