Shipbuilding skills Shengtang Port in Shengfeng Village, Youchegang Town, Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing City, is a unique shipbuilding village in Jiaxing area, and its shipbuilding skills are quite representative in Jiaxing Water Town. Zhang Zuoming (born in 1941)'s family is a veritable shipbuilding family in Shengtang Port. More than 150 years ago, Zhang Zuoming's great-grandfather and grandfather were both shipbuilding experts. Zhang Zuoming learned shipbuilding from his father Zhang Yulin at the age of 15, and has mastered superb craftsmanship for more than 50 years. Now, he and his brothers Zhang Laisheng, Zhang Zhixin, Zhang Jinquan and his sons Zhang Jianping and Zhang Jianhua can build more than ten kinds of ships, including farm boats, fishing boats, small rowing boats, cruise ships, silk net boats, dragon boats, etc. Most of the various ship models in the Jiaxing Ship Museum were made by him and his sons; the small cruise ship next to the Jinjiu refuge on Meiwan Street in Jiaxing City, the flower boat under the Beili Bridge in Jiaxing that imitated Emperor Qianlong's trip to the south of the Yangtze River, and the replica of the ancient ship of the Southern Song Dynasty in the Qingpu Exhibition Hall in Shanghai were all made by Zhang Zuoming and others. Zhang Zuoming's family's handmade shipbuilding skills also incorporate many local customs related to shipbuilding and ship use. Its shipbuilding techniques are mainly as follows: Select wood. Mainly use fir. Fir is characterized by toughness, moisture resistance, non-rottenness, light weight and good buoyancy. The wooden boards of the entire ship are curved boards except for the centering board, so in addition to using high-quality, straight fir boards as centering boards, it is also necessary to choose fir boards with different curvatures and different left and right curvatures according to the different shapes of the ship. In addition, precious ships are also made of cypress, yellow beech and redwood. Make the centering board. The centering board is like the foundation of a house. The ceremony of making the centering board is also very grand, just like putting up the beam when building a house. Zhang Zuoming carved a dragon head on the ship he built. (Photo by Shu Jianming) Make the side boards. The shipbuilder selects wooden boards with appropriate curvature according to the shape and size of the ship, and installs them on both sides of the centering board after processing. After the side boards are built, the shape of a ship has been finalized. Install the bow and stern. Install the wax board and lay it flat. The wax board is two curved boards on both sides of the boat. When sailing in the water, the wax board can balance the boat. It is also the springboard for the boatman to walk from the bow to the stern. The wax board also serves as a decoration for the boat. Flat means the deck. Check the seams. Use paint and hemp cakes to check the seams so that the wooden boat does not leak in the river. Build the boat shed and boat building. The boat building is generally made of fir wood, while precious boats are made of cypress, yellow beech, mahogany, etc. Apply tung oil and paint. Apply tung oil on the hull (especially the underwater part) to prevent the wood from rotting. The boat shed and boat building are also painted. The boat falls into the water. The day before the boat falls into the water, the boat owner must first worship his ancestors. On the day of the fall, the boat owner holds a big banquet to celebrate, and after the boat is launched, firecrackers are set off to celebrate. Worship Liu Wang Bodhisattva. After the boat falls into the water, you must first go to the Liu Wang Temple in Liansudang, east of Wangjiangjing Town, to worship Liu Wang Bodhisattva. The ceremony is very grand. Nowadays, wooden boats are less and less used as a means of transportation, and the shipbuilding skills will gradually disappear from real life. However, with the development of tourism, the demand for beautiful and practical cruise ships is increasing. As a water town, handmade wooden boats are an important carrier of water culture and boat culture. Shipbuilding skills have become a unique skill that needs to be passed on and protected. Shipbuilding skills have been included in the second batch of Jiaxing City's intangible cultural heritage list. Information source: Jiaxing Library Information source: Jiaxing Library