Fluffing cotton, a disappearing handicraft

 

       编者按：弹匠师傅彭承志今年69岁，井字镇人。彭师傅说，他17岁跟着师傅走南闯北弹棉花，19岁就独自一人远上广西、四川、云南等地为人弹棉花，几十年来一直靠弹棉花谋取生计。

　　随着科技的快速发展，太空被、丝绒被等现代工业产品不断压迫着手工弹棉被的利润，加上年龄的增大，在外靠传统的手工弹棉花谋生也越来越艰难。2015年冬，彭师傅结束走南闯北的生涯，回到家里继续干起弹棉花的营当来。由于老彭手艺好，价格又合适，手工弹的棉花蓬松柔软，睡起来暖和，且使用寿命长，一些老伙计们或怀旧的人还是喜欢来找他。

       彭师傅介绍，弹匠师傅在外靠的是一张弹弓、一块磨盘、一个弹花锤和一根牵纱篾，弹好一床新棉被要经过弹棉花、压棉花、铺纱、磨平，翻边后再重复弹、压、铺、磨几个程序。根据顾客要求，棉被宽度从1.5米到2米不等，如是结婚用的棉被，还要用红线或染红的棉花在棉被上铺成“喜”字和寓意百年好合的喜庆图案。

       Editor's note: Fluffing cotton is a traditional handicraft in China, even though it is rarely seen in both urban and rural areas now. It used to be a very popular industry where workers fluffed cotton with bowstrings and turned a pile of cotton into a quilt. Nowadays, many quilts are made of synthetic fibers, silk or feather down and are sold in supermarkets. With highly-efficient machine production completely taking over manual fluffing, this folk handicraft has been gradually lost and is probably gone forever. Peng Zhicheng, a 69-year-old man from Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province, has been engaged in cotton fluffing for more than 50 years. He is probably the last generation who will inherit this traditional handicraft. In the following pictures, Peng displays his unique cotton-fluffing skills.

2016年1月，湖南双峰县井字镇樟叶村，弹匠师傅在弹棉花。[中国网图片库 李建新 摄] Peng Chengzhi uses a bamboo stick to fluff a pile of cotton spread out on his working table in Zhangye Village of Shuangfeng County in Hunan Province on Jan. 10, 2016. [Photo by Li Jianxin/China.com.cn]

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