68-year-old craftsman keeps Shaoxing’s boatmaking technique alive

Xinhua2025-06-13 21:04

　　Qian Shoutang poses with his apprentices on a black-awning boat in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 12, 2025. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

　　This photo taken on June 12, 2025 shows a toolbox of Qian Shoutang in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

　　Qian Shoutang poses beside a black-awning boat he has made in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 12, 2025. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

　　An aerial drone photo taken on June 12, 2025 shows Qian Shoutang trying to sail a black-awning boat in the suburb of Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

　　Qian Shoutang makes a black-awning boat with his apprentices in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 12, 2025. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

　　Qian Shoutang makes a black-awning boat with his apprentices in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 12, 2025. The black-awning boat is unique transportation means in Shaoxing with a long history. The making technique of the black-awning boat was inscribed on the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Zhejiang in 2009. Qian Shoutang, 68, is a representative inheritor of the technique in Shaoxing. Born in a family with a black-awning boat making tradition, Qian has engaged himself in making boats for over half a century. Currently, Qian and his apprentices make more than ten black-awning boats each year, primarily for use in scenic areas. "As more and more people, especially young generation, are fascinated with traditional culture, it is meaningful for me to pass down the technique," said Qian. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)