Jiangxian County is located in the south of Shanxi Province and the northeast end of Yuncheng City. Its south adjoins Zhongtiao Mountain and its north faces Jiang Mountain which is the head source of Sushui River. Jiangxian County has pleasant scenery, superior geographical location and been full of intelligence. It is the hometown of Emperor Yao, the old capital of Kingdom Jin with a history of more than 4300 years so far, and known as the "first county in China". The folk custom here is simple and the environment is beautiful. There are the national preservation cultural relic units such as wood carving reclining Buddha in Taiyin Temple, the Buddhist Temple in Ziyun Temple and Donghua Mountain full of flourishing incense around by among the green mountains and delicate waters. The forest area here is vast with a forest area of 24,700 hectares. The mountain products are extremely abundant, among which wild walnuts are all over the mountains. Because of the thick and hard shell and little meat, people seldom exploit them. Jiangxian County Dahe Crafts Factory turns waste into treasure. It processes the wild walnut in Zhongtiao Mountain through walnut crafts which present appealing design, unique technology and make it renowned at home and abroad.
Walnut products have a long history. According to historical records, as early as 1778, Emperor Qianlong used walnut products as a symbol of "exorcism and luck" and "blessing peace". People usually place them on shrines for harmony and auspice. In traditional Chinese culture, the "core" of walnut in the Chinese pronunciation means "peace", "together" with its implication for the family happiness, harmony and happy, harmony bringing wealth. It is considered to have the function of exorcising evil spirits and guard safety and widely used in the production of traditional crafts.
Walnut handicraft, with the wild walnut as raw material, makes full use of its hard shell, natural and beautiful interior decorative patterns and the primitive style, which is completed with a variety of technologies for processing. There are more than ten working procedures such as cutting, molding, plastic, carving, adhesion, trimming, grinding, and polishing. The product looks noble and elegant. The natural hollow pattern and the originality design is fused as a whole, which is the perfect union of traditional craft and the natural humanity. The subjects of walnut handicraft are extensive and diverse, and its content is mostly auspicious, safe, wealthy and long-living. With its local flavor and specialty, it is the continuation and development of the ancient and excellent cultural tradition in China. While displaying its beautiful appearance, it still exudes the faint scent of natural walnut. It’s often displayed in the room because of its beautiful and natural attribution. It is the high-grade folk handicraft combining artistry, practicability and collection in a one.
Here is Jiangxian County Dahe Crafts Factory, one of only three factories in the country that produce walnut crafts, and it's where exquisite walnut crafts go from here to all over the country. Zhang Weiye, born in 1971, is a native of Xinzhuang, Hengshui Town, Jiangxian County, the sixth generation of walnut craft successor, Member of Shanxi Folk Craft Artists Association, Director of Yuncheng Folk Craft Artists Association, Director of Yuncheng Cultural Industry Association; Craft Master of Yuncheng Folk Culture, the current Chairman and Director of Jiangxian County Dahe Crafts Factory.
The production of walnut handicraft has a long history. Since its founding, there have been representatives of profound attainments in all dynasties. The technique has been passed down from generation to generation or inherited from master to apprentice relying on workshops. On the basis of inheriting the traditional craft, Zhang Weiye is bold in innovation. He works on creating the modeling, manufacturing, craft equipment and materials, so that the walnut process can be carried forward, and a batch of outstanding talents has also been cultivated. In 2006, Zhang Weiye founded Shanxi Jiangxian County Sanhe Crafts Factory, which is now changed into Jiangxian County Dahe Crafts Factory.
The production process of walnut crafts is very complicated. There are sixteen steps from the collection of materials to the final product. Each step is also very exquisite. First, walnuts must be collected after they are fully mature and fall to the ground naturally. Then, they should be shell-removed, washed, dried for more than 15 days, then stored for use. In the production, the first step is to slice, only the middle piece is taken as the production material, the cut walnut slice also needs to be selected. Broken and immature walnuts should not be used. The rest should be sorted by size and pattern and stored for use.
Making moulds is an important part of the process, and then craftsmen select various graceful vessels such as famous vases from past dynasties to make models with wooden structures. Before modelling, the drawing should be drawn first, and then according to the requirements of the drawing, pattern is selected.
The success of bonding concerns the modeling of the entire product which is an important link in the production process. Above all, the aperture inside is filled with glue for bonding. Every aperture should be filled in order to make it level and smooth with clear structures.
After being polished and cleaned, detail amendment are still undertaken. They are soaked in clear water for 12 hours and then dug out, drained, and aired.
It need to be refined after drying, burnish again by beating off the outside pulp, cleaning it with clear water, and drying it. And then people spray the outside with a coat of varnish so that such a bright and handsome walnut handicraft presents in front of people.
Walnuts Artware is divided into two categories: practical and decorative arts and crafts, which has more than 40 varieties such as Kwan-yin bottles, Okho spring bottles, vases, gourd bottles, rich pigs, Tai Chi tables and stools, ashtrays, pendants, desk lamps, flourishing precious Ding (an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and three or four legs), incense burners, eight-arris bottles and auspicious turtles and the likes. And the products are exported to Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and other regions of the whole country. It is praised by friends at home and abroad and also have won many prizes in the national arts and crafts sales exhibitions. In 2008, it won the honorable mention in the craft sales exhibition of First Yongle Palace International Painting and Calligraphy Art Festival in China. In 2009, Zhang Weiye participated in the "Shanxi Characteristic Agricultural Products and Handicrafts Exposition" which was sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government of Shanxi Province. Mr. Zhang won the gold medal of folk handicraft. Zhang Weiye and his family were awarded the title of Shanxi Population Culture Model Household by Shanxi Population and Family Planning Committee.
As walnuts are wild resource, the annual harvest is greatly affected by the weather. Therefore, the handicraft production cycle is long. Its design is difficult, time-consuming and laborious. Because of its insufficient funding, the expanded reproduction of walnut crafts is very difficult. In recent years, Jiangxian County Party Committee and Jiangxian County Government, fully affirmed the importance of the walnut handicraft as a crucial cultural carrier and specification of people’s wisdom, have attached great importance to the intangible cultural inheritance.It has played a great role in the inheritance and continuation of regional culture. We believe that the walnut crafts will make our life much better in building a harmonious and well-off society.
