Cultural Heritage Protection: Centuries-old knife-making craft faces preservation challenges

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In an era when small family businesses are being outdone by big retailers, a similar fate awaits many intangible cultural skills in China. One example - knife-makers in a Chinese village known for its craftsmanship face the challenge of passing this time-honored skill down to younger generations. CGTN's Yang Jinghao takes us to Yunnan province.

Xiang Laosai says he has the sharpest knife in the world. The 57-year-old knifesmith is from Husa in southwestern China's Yunnan Province, a small town known for its diversified knives. He started learning the forging techniques from his father at an early age.

XIANG LAOSAI KNIFESMITH "I still felt dissatisfied even after grasping my father's skills, so I decided to learn more from other masters. All the families in my village made knives back then. Every time I heard forging noises somewhere, I would rush over to help and learn."

Before long, he grew into a master-hand in Husa, home to many Achang people, one of the smallest ethnic groups in China. The knife-making history here can be traced back some 600 years, when the tool was used as a military weapon.

In 2006, the craft was listed among the nation's first batch of intangible cultural heritages for its long history and special role in Achang people's lives.

YANG JINGHAO HUSA TOWN, YUNNAN "Just like many other icons of cultural heritage, this centuries-old craftsmanship also faces a pressing issue - how to preserve it by passing it down to future generations."

And this is also what Xiang, a national-level inheritor, worries about.

XIANG LAOSAI KNIFESMITH "I am concerned that this special ethnic culture will be lost some day. Making knives is very laborious and tiring, and the majority of the young generation is unwilling to endure it, as they have more options today."

Part of his efforts include apprenticing all four of his children.

Xiang Hong'an, the youngest, says he loves this work and can make a good living on it. But he also faces multiple challenges, namely, strict knife regulations in China.

XIANG HONG'AN SON OF XIANG LAOSAI "Many kinds of our knives are prohibited from express delivery, though they are popular. This, of course, hurts knife-makers' enthusiasm. It's really a headache!"

Now, the family, like other villagers, focuses more on producing kitchen knives, which are free from such restrictions. To promote sales, Hong'an also uses new technology, such as livestreaming.

For him, making knives in their traditional way is a lifetime undertaking.

XIANG HONG'AN SON OF XIANG LAOSAI "I would like to share what I've acquired with anyone interested in it and will try my best to do so."

By virtue of the fame of the knives, now local villagers try to diversify their source of income, for example, developing rural tourism. And more such attempts are needed to make the tradition sustainable.

YJH, CGTN, Yunnan Province.