1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 113 Apprenticeship: Passing on the Art of Paper Cutting

"Card."

Director Du looked at the camera and called for a pause: "The explanations are too monotonous. It would be more engaging to film some on-site learning of the production process."

"Then let's take the picture."

The assistant director responded readily: "I'll go talk to the vendor and ask him to cooperate."

"Give someone a pack of cigarettes."

Director Du carefully instructed: "Don't go empty-handed, it won't look good."

"to make."

The assistant director understood immediately, took out a pack of Jinan-made General cigarettes from his backpack, and walked over with a smile.

With the general leading the way, the sugar figurine was easily obtained!

The sugar-blowing vendor beamed with delight upon seeing the General Cigarette and readily agreed.

"Xi Yu, it's your turn."

The assistant director, smug and raising an eyebrow, said, "Be smart, learn the craft from the master, and try to blow your own sugar figurine."

"Coming."

Lin Xiyu was also very happy to hear that she could learn how to make sugar figurines, and quickly ran over.

The vendor gave a live demonstration, getting to experience what it's like to mentor an apprentice.

Lin Xiyu did not disappoint. She was quick-witted and learned quickly. Before long, she actually managed to blow out a sugar figurine.

"Is this a pig?"

"Is it a dog?"

"monkey."

"neither fish nor fowl."

"monster."

Although it looked a bit ugly and was ridiculed by the crew, she was still very happy, holding up her masterpiece and laughing happily.

"Card."

Director Du raised his hand, signaling the end of filming.

"what?"

Lin Xiyu stopped laughing, her face covered in syrup, looking completely bewildered: "It's over already? I haven't even started making it yet."

"That's exactly the effect we wanted."

The cameraman flashed a sly smile, revealing a set of white teeth: "The footage shot without our knowledge is more realistic and more captivating."

"You guys are so mean, I'm going on strike!"

As expected, another furious roar from the lioness of Hedong echoed through Qushuiting Street.

"Hahaha."

The crew members rarely saw her with her hair all disheveled, and they all grinned and laughed heartily.

-

Director Du had to go back to the hospital to recuperate due to back pain, so the heavy responsibility of filming in the afternoon fell on the assistant director's shoulders.

The assistant director, unusually serious and without his usual joking demeanor, led the team to No. 2 Yongquan Hutong to visit the old Jinan craftsman, the legendary paper-cutting master, Ms. Hu Ping.

Hu Ping is 76 years old this year. She is a kind and amiable old lady with gray hair.

Upon learning the purpose of the program, the elderly man gladly accepted the interview and demonstrated his paper-cutting skills on the spot.

In her hands, the scissors seemed to come alive, moving freely across the paper.

Dragons and phoenixes, peonies, and auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness—each intricate and exquisite design—takes shape under her hands.

Each time the folded paper was unfolded, it drew unanimous exclamations of admiration.

-

"Paper cutting is one of the oldest folk arts in China. As a kind of openwork art, it gives people a visual enjoyment of transparency and carries rich historical and cultural connotations."

"The origin of paper cutting can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, when people used thin materials such as gold foil, leather, and leaves to carve patterns for decoration or religious purposes."

The Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu once wrote in his poem "Pengya Xing," "Warm water washes my feet, paper cuttings summon my soul."

"Through this poem, we can see that paper-cutting was already very popular in religious activities during the Tang Dynasty, and many folk tales about paper-cutting to summon souls were widely circulated."

"Nowadays, paper-cutting is widely loved by the people as a symbol of celebration. During festivals, people paste a pair of big red paper-cut window decorations on their windows, which symbolizes harmony and happiness and is the people's sincere expectation for a better life in the future."

-

"Xiyu, don't just talk, you need to do more hands-on work and learn paper cutting from Grandma Hu."

The assistant director was cunning; for the sake of the filming effect, he took advantage of the end of the explanation and set his sights on Lin Xiyu.

"I'm clumsy and can't cut these delicate things, so let's all work together."

Lin Xiyu has learned her lesson this time, dragging all the production crew members down with her.

If we're going to lose face, we'll all lose face together. Anyway, she's already been tricked by Director Du once, so it doesn't matter if she gets tricked a few more times.

"Okay, everyone go and learn. It'll be more fun to learn together, and the photos will turn out even better."

These words were exactly what the assistant director wanted to hear. He was just trying to persuade Gu Bin and his colleagues to join in, and Lin Xiyu had delivered herself right to his doorstep.

"Should we learn too?"

Apart from Li Yan, the entire production crew consisted of men. They were fine with carrying equipment, but cutting flowers was really like being forced into a corner.

"I've never cut paper snowflakes; I only know how to cut my nails with scissors."

"I've scaled fish and gutted them."

"You're making it sound so creepy and bloody. I'm gentler than you, and I can trim your beard."

-

"Didn't you have any craft classes when you were little?"

The assistant director, displeased with what he heard, glared at him and lost his temper.

He didn't see the camera lens flashing, pointing directly at his face.

"Why don't you come yourself? Give us a demonstration?"

A staff member, suppressing a laugh, handed him a pair of scissors.

"Come on in, move aside, don't stand here and get in the way."

The assistant director fell for it, snatched the scissors, and pushed the person aside.

The staff member and the cameraman exchanged a knowing glance, then quickly slipped away and left the camera's range.

-

"Come on, everyone, follow my example. Let's fold the paper first into a triangle shape."

Grandma Hu smiled kindly, not taking the little incident of changing the person to heart.

A group of bystanders followed suit and did as instructed.

"Are they all folded? Come on, let's start cutting."

Grandma Hu was very patient and deliberately slowed down her movements so that everyone could see clearly.

Lin Xiyu and the others stared wide-eyed, and following her lead, they began to cut paper, mimicking her movements.

"Hey, these scissors aren't working properly."

After only a short while of cutting, another male staff member became discouraged: "You guys cut it so easily, but in my hands it looks deformed. It comes out crooked and twisted, like it's been bitten by insects."

"Don't blame the scissors if your hand is crippled."

The assistant director glared at him with displeasure, completely forgetting that they were filming.

"I'm leaving now, good luck to you guys."

The staff member chuckled and took the opportunity to slip away, putting down the scissors and quickly leaving.

The remaining person, under the assistant director's death stare, shuddered in shock and stabbed his own hand.

"Ouch, you're bleeding."

Li Yan gasped in surprise, her face turning pale.

"The wound isn't big, no stitches needed." "Rinse it with water and put on a band-aid."

Chaos erupted inside the room, and the male staff member was eventually injured and forced to leave the filming location.

The cameraman secretly rejoiced, greatly admiring the excellent teamwork of his three colleagues.

These hilarious behind-the-scenes clips are far more entertaining than paper-cutting; Director Du would definitely be very satisfied with them.

-

To attract viewers, the assistant director came up with a novel idea: to have the remaining four people—Lin Xiyu, Li Yan, Gu Bin, and himself—learn paper cutting through a competition with elimination rounds.

Grandma Hu served as the judge, and the window decorations ranged from simple to complex. The contestants who made it through each round were the winners of the day.

With competition, Lin Xiyu perked up and secretly plotted to show off her skills in front of Gu Bin and take this opportunity to beat him.

Girls are skillful and adept at paper cutting.

As expected, the assistant director was eliminated in the first round, and Gu Bin also unfortunately left the stage in the second round.

Lin Xiyu narrowly defeated Li Yan with her speed, becoming the final winner.

"Yay, I won!"

She happily hugged Grandma Hu and spun her around, making Grandma Hu dizzy and both amused and exasperated.

"Xi Yu, stop spinning."

Gu Bin found it amusing and reached out to pull her back: "Grandma Hu is too old to take any more stress."

"hey-hey."

Lin Xiyu belatedly realized what was happening and embarrassedly let go of his hand.

"It's alright, Grandma isn't so old that she can't even walk."

Grandma Hu smiled nonchalantly, her gaze towards Lin Xiyu filled with affection.

"Grandma Hu"

Li Yan had an idea and seized the opportunity to interview him: "Your paper-cutting is so good, have you ever thought about taking on an apprentice to pass on this craft?"

"Of course I've thought about it, how could I not?"

Grandma Hu stopped laughing and showed a hint of regret: "It's a pity that none of my children are like me. They are very stupid and can't be taught no matter how I try. As for my grandchildren, they are even worse. Nowadays, young people are all thinking about going out to work and making big money. They look down on the craft of paper cutting. In a few years, when we old folks die, these old crafts will be lost."

"It's such a pity that this skill has been lost."

Li Yan sighed sadly: "These folk cultures are the treasures of our country, and they should be given special support."

"That's absolutely right."

The assistant director's eyes lit up, and he quickly caught up with the pace: "The purpose of filming the Spring Water Family series is to promote folk culture, to give our veteran craftsmen the attention they deserve, and to pass on their unique skills."

Grandma Hu looked on with anticipation: "I wish it could really be like that."

"Grandma Hu, you want to take on an apprentice, do you think she's suitable?"

Gu Bin deliberately tried to make Grandma Hu happy by pushing her from behind, bringing Lin Xiyu in front of her.

"Ah I?"

Lin Xiyu was quite startled by his sudden action.

"Okay, why not?"

Grandma Hu was indeed very happy: "As long as Xiyu is willing to learn, Grandma will teach you everything she knows and teach you all the cutting techniques."

"Grandma agreed."

Gu Bin smiled slyly, not giving her a chance to refuse: "Hurry up and call me Master, and offer me tea."

"Do you really want to learn?"

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated.

"Weren't you determined to beat me?"

Gu Bin continued slyly, "I'm giving you a chance, so hurry up and seize it. This is probably the only skill you have in your life that gives you a chance to beat me."

Lin Xiyu: "."

Is this thing some kind of tapeworm in her stomach?
You even noticed that?!
-

"Taking on apprentices is great! I have a good idea."

The assistant director, eager to show off, spoke up: "Paper-cutting is a national treasure that must be passed down. Xi Yu is the tourism ambassador of Jinan, and she should set an example by promoting folk culture."

"As for apprentices, she is the only one, which is really too few. We can take advantage of the airing of the Spring Water Family series to promote it vigorously, so that teenagers who really love paper-cutting can come and visit and learn, and let Grandma Hu personally select her favorite apprentices."

-

"I think it works!"

Li Yan and he worked together seamlessly, and she gave him a very enthusiastic welcome.

"Won't it be too crowded if everyone comes to our house?"

Gu Bin frowned slightly: "Grandma Hu's courtyard is not big, and it's not just her family's place. Strangers often come in, and I'm afraid some people will mind and it will affect the relationship between neighbors."

"How about we hold the visit and learning event at the neighborhood committee?"

Facing the camera, the assistant director straightened his back and said righteously, "Grandma Hu taking on apprentices is a big deal. In order to pass on folk culture, I don't think the neighborhood committee will refuse."

"The interview is over. Let's go to the neighborhood committee first."

Li Yan offered her advice: "Tell them about this first, see their attitude, and then decide."

"can."

The assistant director stood with his hands behind his back and nodded solemnly.

He has a director's flair, and he handles it very well.

"I'm causing trouble for you."

Grandma Hu's eyes showed gratitude.

"No trouble."

The assistant director, in a dramatic mood, continued his performance: "The original intention of filming our promotional video for 'Spring Water Family' was to promote the folk culture of old Jinan. It is our honor to do something practical for veteran craftsmen like you."

"well said!"

Li Yan led the applause.

"The assistant director's words were quite impressive."

The other staff members were also very supportive.

"She has a firm grasp on the aspect of temperament."

"You can tell he's got formal training. He didn't waste his time working with Director Du; he's quick-witted and knows how to handle things."

"His skill in flattery and bootlicking is first-rate."

The assistant director blushed and was furious: "Who said that last line? Come out here, I promise I won't kill you."

"Hahaha."

Grandma Hu found it amusing, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes from laughing.

-

The "Spring Water Village" series is very popular, and the neighborhood committee is willing to cooperate with the production team in filming.

Grandma Hu's apprenticeship program went very smoothly, and many children who love paper cutting came to visit her home after watching the program.

The neighborhood committee coordinated the arrangement, and every weekend, a gallery in the Children's Palace is set up as an activity room for children to learn paper cutting.

Grandma Hu selected ten of the most talented children and personally taught them their skills.

Lin Xiyu also held the nominal title of the eldest disciple, and would occasionally show his face at the Children's Palace to have a close interaction with the junior disciples.

After filming the folk culture segment was completed, the filming location for the series shifted from the city to the countryside, and the focus shifted to exploring the 72 famous springs of Jinan.

Historically recorded famous springs are distributed in various towns and villages of Jinan, with a particularly high concentration in the southern mountainous area.

Lin Xiyu followed the production crew to film on location, traveling around the mountain valleys by car every day from dawn to sunset, never going home.

My cousin wasn't idle either; Dingsheng Decoration officially opened, and the promotional brochures featuring Lin Xiyu as the company's brand ambassador were very effective.

Riding on the wave of the special program "Spring Water Family", the number of customers coming to visit has been increasing day by day.

My cousin, with her silver tongue, managed to sway customers with ease, achieving remarkable success by signing numerous orders and earning over a thousand yuan in commissions each month.

Liu Ye was overjoyed and specially prepared a large red envelope of 600 yuan for Lin Xiyu as a thank-you gift for the opening.