Fish Lanterns: The Light of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Illuminating Past and Present
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In the bright galaxy of traditional Chinese culture, the intangible cultural heritage fish lantern is like a unique star, emitting a charming light. It is not only an exquisite handicraft but also an artistic treasure carrying profound historical and cultural connotations. Having gone through the baptism of years, it still shines brilliantly.
Production Process: Exquisite Art Crafted with Ingenuity
The production process of intangible cultural heritage fish lanterns is extremely exquisite. Each process embodies the craftsmen's efforts and wisdom, and is a test of patience and skills.
Making a fish lantern first requires building the framework, which is the most crucial step. Taking the production of fish lanterns in Wangmantian Village as an example, straight and thick bamboo is selected. After peeling off the bamboo skin, it is soaked in water. After being dried for 7 days, it is sliced into bamboo strips, and then roasted with fire to soften the bamboo strips and bend them into the desired shape. The framework of the fish head and fish body has a unique shape, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, in the shape of an egg, perfectly simulating the form of a fish. The bamboo rings are firmly fixed with iron wire, and the fish head, fish tail and fish body are connected by iron wire rings to ensure free movement. In the production of Xinhui's fish lanterns, when building the framework, the peach bamboo is slowly split into thin and thin bamboo strips, soaked in water, dried, so that the bamboo strips have better toughness and are not easy to break, and then wound into circles of different diameters, arranged and combined to form the framework of the "fish".
After the framework is completed, it enters the paper pasting stage. Craftsmen select thin tissue paper and carefully paste it with glutinous rice paste. This process requires extra care to ensure that the paper is closely attached and the light transmission is uniform, laying a good foundation for the subsequent painting. In the production of Xinhui fish lanterns, red paper is cut into appropriate shapes, paste is brushed on the edge of the paper, and pasted piece by piece according to the area formed by the bamboo strips. The process of trimming the fish shape after pasting paper is also very important, which requires careful carving to remove uneven edges and corners, making the shape of the fish lantern more perfect.
Painting is an important step to endow the fish lantern with a soul. The main colors are blue and red, dotted with yellow, green and other colors, and patterns such as auspicious clouds and flames are painted. The painting styles of fish lanterns in different regions are various and have their own characteristics. For example, the fish lanterns in Zhanqi Village are mainly red and cyan. When parading, the fish body flips, just like "a fish leaping over the dragon's gate"; the giant fish lanterns in Wangmantian, when lit, have hundreds of candlelights flickering, which is particularly shocking in the night. When painting, the selection and application of pigments are also particular. For the fish lanterns in Wangmantian Village, after outlining the fish scales, fish mouth and fish eyes with a black marker, brushes are used to dip red, black and white pigments and color according to the outline. Since oil paint cannot be mixed with water, it is not easy to apply evenly.
Inheritance and Development: Let the Light of Fish Lanterns Shine in the New Era
In modern society, the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage fish lanterns is facing many challenges, but at the same time, it also ushered in new opportunities. In order to make this ancient craft continue and develop, various regions have taken a variety of measures.
Many fish lantern making techniques are passed down from generation to generation through families and master-apprentice relationships. Inheritance families such as the Wang and Hu families in She County still adhere to manual production and pass on the essence of this craft. At the same time, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage enter campuses, set up fish lantern making courses, teach children to weave bamboo strips and paint fish bodies, sowing the seeds of inheritance in children's hearts, allowing the younger generation to contact and understand fish lantern culture from an early age, and cultivating their love for traditional culture.
With the development of the Internet, new media platforms such as short videos and live broadcasts have provided new ways for the dissemination of fish lanterns. Through these platforms, the production process of fish lanterns and wonderful moments of parades have been recorded and disseminated, attracting the attention of a large number of netizens. For example, the live broadcast of Wangmantian fish lantern night tour had more than 2 million viewers in a single session, allowing the ancient intangible cultural heritage to break through the circle and enter more people's vision.
Fish lanterns are also closely integrated with the cultural and tourism industry and have become important cultural IPs. Some ancient villages launch "fish lantern night tour" experiences. Tourists hold DIY small fish lanterns, walk through the bluestone lanes, watch the parade of giant fish lanterns, and immerse themselves in the charm of traditional culture. The cultural and creative market has also launched many products with fish lantern elements, such as refrigerator stickers and ornaments. In 2024, the sales of related cultural and creative products exceeded one million. In addition, fish lanterns are combined with research tours to create "intangible cultural heritage workshops", allowing tourists to deeply participate in the production and understand the cultural code behind them in the experience.
The intangible cultural heritage fish lantern, an art form carrying history and culture, is constantly radiating new vitality under the persistence of inheritors and the efforts of all sectors of society. It swims from the past, crosses the long river of years, illuminates the present, and will surely continue to shine in the future, allowing more people to appreciate the profoundness and unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.