1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 53 Directory

Investigator Zheng arrived in the afternoon.

Wang Cunzhi led the way on a motorcycle, while Researcher Zheng came from the county by ferry.

After disembarking at the dock, I was carrying a black faux leather bag. The paint on the zipper pull had worn off, revealing the silver-white metal underneath.

He stood on the dock and looked towards the service station for a while; three wooden signs hung quietly in the afternoon sun.

The sound of diesel engines sputtering came from the workshop, mixed with the sound of seawater lapping against the hull of the ship in the stone trough.

Wang Cunzhi parked the motorcycle at the gate of the courtyard and led him inside.

The last time Investigator Zheng came back was last autumn, when it was for the provincial compilation of experience reports on fishery maintenance stations.

He spent most of the day at the service station, flipping through Ah Guang's registration book, watching Lao Fang repair gearboxes, and even drinking the fish ball soup that Lin Xiu'e brought him.

After returning, he wrote a research report and submitted the Moon Island model. The province approved it as a pilot project and added training subsidies.

I'm here today for a more important document.

Jiang Haiping walked out of the workshop and wiped the machine oil off his hands with cotton yarn.

He recognized Investigator Zheng and quickly went to greet him.

Investigator Zheng placed the bag on the table at the workshop entrance, unzipped it, and took out a kraft paper file folder.

The cover of the file folder is printed with the words "Supplementary Application Materials for the Provincial Traditional Crafts Protection List", and below it is the joint seal of the Provincial Department of Culture and the Department of Fisheries.

"Master Qiu Changhai's application materials have already undergone preliminary review by the province." Investigator Zheng opened the file folder and pulled out a few pages of paper, which were the application form that Qiu Changhai filled out last year, as well as the "core characteristics of the skills" that Lin Xiu'e copied down word by word.

He spread these pages on the table. "The expert team will come down next month for a review. The review will be conducted on-site to examine the craftsmanship, the inheritance of traditions, and the service station's attitude towards this craft."

I'm here today to give you a heads-up and go over the details that need to be prepared.

Jiang Haiping took the application form and flipped through it.

He remembered this form very clearly. When he filled it out last year, Qiu Changhai sat on a stone bench and dictated it to Lin Xiu'e, who squatted down next to him and copied it onto the form.

When writing the section on "core characteristics of the craftsmanship," Qiu Changhai remained silent for a long time before speaking. He said that the best seam is one that doesn't leak water, but rather one that is taken apart decades later and still has white hemp fibers and moist tung oil residue.

Lin Xiu'e wrote this sentence neatly on the form, the characters were large and forceful.

He put down the application form and listened to Investigator Zheng continue speaking.

The review will look at several things: the first is "living heritage," which means whether anyone is still learning this craft.

The second is "works record," which refers to the boats I've worked on over the years.

The third is the "craftsmanship file," which includes written and illustrative records of tools, materials, and processes. All three are available at the service station.

Lin Xiu'e is a senior technician, Xiao Zhou can sew independently, and Hong Xiaobing and Jiang Haibo are also learning.

The register recorded dozens of wooden fishing boats, each with a name, owner, and repair date.

Qiu Changhai had used that chisel for forty years; the formula for tung oil putty, the way to tear hemp fibers, and the technique for carving grooves were all in his mind.

"There's still one thing missing." Investigator Zheng turned over the top page of the paper on the table and pointed to the last column: the lineage of craftsmanship. "The expert group wants to see not only how many boats have been repaired, but also the origin of the craft. Who passed it down, to whom was it passed, and how many people are still skilled enough to carry it out now."

Lin Xiu'e carried the freshly mixed tung oil ash basin out of the kitchen and placed it on the windowsill.

Upon hearing this, she glanced at the spot where Qiu Changhai was sitting by the stone trough.

Last year, when filling out the intangible cultural heritage application form, she filled in the section on the lineage of skills inheritance for Qiu Changhai.

What is the master's surname? How was he taught? Who are his disciples?

Later, Qiu Changhai said that Ding Haisheng should also be included, as all those who have studied under him are inheritors of his teachings.

He's still carving grooves by the stone trough, chisels resting on his knees, not looking this way.

Jiang Haiping took the training files out of the drawer.

Lin Xiu'e, a senior seamstress, won first place in the provincial competition and studied under Qiu Changhai.

Xiao Zhou is a seamstress who apprenticed under Master Song, who in turn apprenticed under Qiu Changhai.

Hong Xiaobing and Jiang Haibo are learning the basics of seam filling, and they've scrapped countless pieces of scrap board by cutting grooves.

He opened the file, then took the first register, turned to the first page, and read, "Three gears, five bearings, two rudders."

Ah Hai wrote his characters by using a ruler as a guide.

Starting with this register, every wooden fishing boat that the service station repaired was recorded in it.

"Master Qiu has taken on six apprentices." Jiang Haiping closed the file and placed it on the table, then reported the names and whereabouts of the first five apprentices to Investigator Zheng one by one.

The first one's surname was Ma, and he drove a taxi in the provincial capital.

The second one used to repair ships and now works in workshop management.

The third one was the most skilled, and he was poached by a shipyard in the south.

The fourth brother went to inspect the warehouse and said his skills were inferior to others.

The fifth one is Master Song, and the sixth one is Lin Xiu'e.

He also wrote Ding Haisheng's name down, saying that Master Ding was a welder, but Master Qiu had personally taught him the basic skills of grouting, and they had grouted the bottom seams of several wooden boats together back then.

Investigator Zheng wrote down these names one by one on the genealogy chart, and then asked who Ding Haisheng's welding skills had been passed on to.

Jiang Haiping said he passed it on to A Guang, who is now independently welding flat corner seams and has won awards in the provincial welding competition.

After writing the last name, Investigator Zheng put the pen on the table and looked at the description of the core technical characteristics on the application form.

He asked Qiu Changhai if he had mentioned taking on new apprentices.

Jiang Haiping said he had always wanted to train more people, but his back was bad, so now Lin Xiu'e and Xiao Zhou were training the young apprentices at the service station.

Investigator Zheng nodded, put the file folder away, and zipped up the artificial leather bag.

After seeing Investigator Zheng off, Jiang Haiping put the training files and registration book back in the drawer, then walked to the stone trough and squatted down.

Qiu Changhai had just finished cleaning the main seam and was wiping the chisel with cotton yarn, his movements unhurried, when he asked what the province had said.

Jiang Haiping said that the experts will come next month to check the lineage, and he has listed the names of his apprentices, including Master Ding.

Qiu Changhai folded the cotton yarn and put it in his pocket, his voice low: "That kid Ding Haisheng, back then he refused to learn sewing, saying that welding was a more promising career. But he still learned it in the end, and he did quite well."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The fourth brother... he was also skilled, but he lacked confidence. The year I retired, he went to work in the warehouse. Later, the factory underwent restructuring, he was laid off, went to the south, and I never saw him again."

Jiang Haiping said that the register recorded that Lao Si had independently repaired several wooden fishing boats back then. He was the fourth in the family tree, apprenticed under Qiu Changhai, and independently sewed.

As Qiu Changhai listened, he paused for a moment, picked up the chisel, and examined it against the light.

Lin Xiu'e placed the prepared tung oil putty basin next to the stone trough, and then sat down on the stone stool next to it.

The master and apprentice squatted side by side, neither of them speaking, as the waves lapped against the stone trough.

The few ripe yellow loquats on the tree shimmered faintly in the glow of the setting sun.

Qiu Changhai picked up his chisel again and slowly said, "Transcribe the names of those dozens of wooden boats from the register into the materials in regular script. When the experts come next month, I'll take them to see them one by one."

The name of a ship is more important than anything else.