Fang Shi Fu · Brick-Carving Worker at the Decorative Brick Factory

Full transcript

《The Decorative Brick Factory: Interview with Master Fang, Brick-Carving Artisan》

Editorial note: Q = interviewer; Fang = Master Fang; Aside = bystander interjection. In editing, I've tried to keep the original wording and cut repetition and meaningless filler. Obvious transcription errors have been restored from context, e.g. “pig eyelash” = pig bristle, “Jixi/Jixian” = Jixi, “Jinshan” = Jing County, etc.

Aside: About how much does this brick cost per square meter?

A: Big and small differ. Our 400 is this big; 180 per square meter.

Aside: If it's made like this, does that include shipping or not?

A: If you make it like this, this big, this thick. These are actually the kind used in the Forbidden City. Once oiled, it doesn't absorb water—the inside doesn't absorb water. The unoiled one doesn't absorb water. This one doesn't absorb water; see, this one doesn't absorb water—the water rolls off. But this one just doesn't look like this. Each brick has a different pattern. After it's laid, we'll add more texture to it. That way, even if the floor is damp, it's fine; it won't... Even if the floor is damp or the air is damp, this kind—how to put it—matches furniture well, colors well.

Q: Master, can I ask you a few questions while you work?

Fang: Mm, go ahead.

Q: Your surname?

Fang: My surname is Fang.

Q: This is called a scholar's studio; this set is called the Four Treasures of the Study. Your date of birth?

Fang: April '89, I think.

Q: Are you local or from elsewhere?

Fang: I'm from Jixi.

Q: From Jixi. Quite a few people in Jixi do brick carving, huh?

Fang: Not that many in Jixi now. Just that group, the group with us.

Q: Are there many as young as you?

Fang: Young ones, not many older ones.

Q: How long have you been doing this?

Fang: About ten-some years.

Q: Did a relative introduce you, or who? Who brought you in? How did you find a master?

Fang: We also formally apprenticed, in Jixi. Someone introduced us, more or less.

Q: When you apprenticed, was the master famous? Did you get to choose?

Fang: That was still just the beginning. When we started, no one was doing it yet. There wasn't any talk of famous, of how big a name.

Q: Around what year?

Fang: Around '07 or '08, '08, '07. It was just starting then. Back then no one was doing the whole machine thing either.

Q: How many people in your family? Do they do this too?

Fang: Just me. But I do very little now.

Q: How many siblings do you have?

Fang: I have one brother.

Q: And only you do this? Did you choose it yourself or did your family?

Fang: I chose it myself at home.

Q: You don't have a draft you made yourself—you just do it directly like this?

Fang: I drew it with a pencil, just sketched it lightly with a pencil.

Q: You sketch with a pencil first. The pencil sketch is flat—so how do you handle the depth?

Fang: That depends on your own feel. Once you've done a lot, you know. Once you've done a lot, you don't need to sketch with pencil. Actually you don't really need to sketch; you can do it without pencil at all.

Q: What year did you come to this factory?

Fang: I haven't been here long, I think. I came this year.

Q: Before that you were in Jixi?

Fang: Mm, I ran around. Wherever they needed a master, I'd go.

Q: So for what you do, how do others judge what's good and what's not?

Fang: You look at whether it resembles it, at the expression. You make it three-dimensional—the expression. Everyone who does it can do it, but doing it well is actually not easy. The expression of figures—right. And flowers and such—flowers have form too, have expression too. But doing it—this stuff is all like that. Everyone who does it can do it; doing it well is not easy.

Q: How do you think your work is in this trade?

Fang: We're not out to grab money.

Q: About how long does it take to learn?

Fang: To learn it, at least three years, at least two or three years. But to be able to do these things, at least five or six years, seven or eight years. In two or three years you can carve, but not yet—if you're on your own, some things you still can't do. To work independently takes five or six years. It depends on the person. Some people can do it in two or three years—very impressive. Some people can do it for ten-some years and still be useless. It depends on nature, on talent.

Q: Do you think you learned this relatively fast?

Fang: I think I'm okay.

Q: What do you think you do relatively well? Where do you feel you're better?

Fang: All okay, I guess. I feel about the same.

Q: Is there anything you're especially good at?

Fang: Maybe flowers and birds and such.

Q: What I want to ask is, is there a trick, something you figured out yourself in learning this trade, or something?

Fang: No, there's no shortcut trick. You just accumulate day by day. When you've done it to a certain level, you naturally know how.

Q: Does this trade hurt your hands? Does it hurt your hands, or your eyes, or what part?

Fang: It's all okay. But sitting for a long time, you'll definitely have some occupational issues. It's like sitting here, same as you sitting in an office for a long time—your neck gets a bit uncomfortable. Eyes are okay.

Q: Does this require good eyes? Can someone nearsighted do this?

Fang: Nearsightedness doesn't affect it. If you're nearsighted, you just look closer. Presbyopia will affect it. If an older person is presbyopic, it affects them. Nearsightedness is okay. Aren't I nearsighted? It's fine. Wear glasses.

Q: What about dust?

Fang: Not much dust, it's okay. Brick carving dust isn't a big problem either. It's not machine carving—machine carving probably makes a lot of dust.

Q: Do you use machine carving now?

Fang: We use machines too. This kind, we use them too. Sometimes we use some. These big ones are all hand-carved—the big blocks, big surfaces, use machines? Some places can use it. For example, places like this, where it's not fully done, first run the machine over it, then touch it up by hand. That's more efficient. If it were purely hand-made, it would really take too long.

Q: Is there anyone who does it purely by machine?

Fang: There are people who do it purely by machine. Aren't these all not purely machine-made? Some have been touched up, some haven't.

Q: When you were with your master, during those years as an apprentice, did you pay him, or did he pay you?

Fang: At our time, we still paid a portion, a little money. Usually you finish apprenticeship in three years. But after about a year or two or three, that custom was gone. When we were there, it was still around. Later, people stopped paying the master, paying for food and such. We still had that then. Later it was gone.

Q: When you first finished your apprenticeship, about how much could you make a month? Has it changed compared to now?

Fang: Hard to say. When we first finished, we took contract jobs. There wasn't any fixed monthly amount.

Q: Now you should earn more than before? Is it better skill or more work?

Fang: Both. There's commission. Skill and efficiency improve.

Q: Doing this, about how much can you make a month?

Fang: A little over 10,000, a little over 10,000.

Q: Are there many people doing it now?

Fang: Not many, but it doesn't sell that much either. The market is relatively small.

Q: So you're on piecework?

Fang: Piecework, piecework.

Q: How much for carving one piece like this? Or does it depend on what you carve?

Fang: Not necessarily. Before the brick is started, it depends on what you make. They see the thing and then talk price. Sometimes the price is discussed after it's done.

Q: For a finished piece like this, if it's carved, how long does it take?

Fang: This one about two or three days, three or four days, around three or four days. It was already run over by machine once, the machine went over it once. Some places the machine went over once, and now I touch it up again. The details are far from good, because he made the model himself.

Q: You came from Jixi. Do you rent a place here, or does the boss rent for you?

Fang: He gave me one. He has housing. He has housing over there.

Q: Do you live alone or with several people?

Fang: Just me alone.

Q: How often do you go home?

Fang: Whenever I want to go home, I go. It's hard to say. Whenever I feel like going back, I go back for a bit.

Q: Do you work both morning and afternoon here, or usually half a day?

Fang: Usually both morning and afternoon. Generally, if I want to rest, I might rest, go out and have some fun.

Q: It's completely up to you?

Fang: Right.

Q: Being here alone, do you play music or listen to something while working?

Fang: Sometimes I listen to novels or something, or play some music. I play music too. Listen to songs, listen to novels, and listen while I work. Otherwise it's boring. There's no one here.

Q: Listening to music doesn't affect your work?

Fang: That won't affect it. Watching, watching is no good. Watching videos won't do. Listening is fine, audio is fine.

Q: What you make—if you didn't consider the cost per piece, would you use this in your own home renovation or something?

Fang: How to put it? It depends on what kind of house. If it's commercial housing, few people would use this. If it's your own private house, sure, use it if you want.

Q: Do you think you'd like it?

Fang: I can't say for sure. Maybe, maybe I'd do it.

Q: Would you choose a more Western style, or something like this?

Fang: Usually Chinese style. It depends on personal taste. Actually the market isn't big now. It's relatively small, and not many people do it.

Q: You carve first and then fire, right?

Fang: This is already fired. This is fired first, then carved.

Q: This is already fired? But why isn't it black?

Fang: This isn't clay, it's brick. This is finished. This is fired. If it were clay, you'd touch it and it would fall apart. Each has its advantages. Some are carved first and then fired, but that's clay, a bit wetter—it might warp or something later.

Q: It seems like one person does the whole process—you do it all yourself? They give you a brick, the machine runs over it once, and then you do the rest entirely?

Fang: Right.

Q: Is there purely hand-made?

Fang: There's purely hand-made too. We do it too. But it takes much longer.

Q: This is also intangible cultural heritage in Jixi, right?

Fang: Mm, yes.

Q: If someone asked you, do you think this is an intangible cultural heritage craft, or just打工? How do you feel?

Fang: I feel it's both. It's打工, and it's also intangible cultural heritage. Sometimes I do it myself too. I do it myself, make it and sell it myself, not just working for others.

Q: Do you have your own shop?

Fang: Sometimes if someone orders, I might make some.

Q: So you're your own boss too?

Fang: Not really a boss. It's just private handicraft.

Q: I see some people set up a workshop, do this, and put their name on it. Do you do that?

Fang: I feel if you put your own name on it, the price goes up. But that depends on what you're making. We generally don't do that. In our trade, no one does. These are usually hung up high—you see—people generally don't sign them or anything.

Q: These figures on top—are the drafts copied from elsewhere, or can you create them yourself?

Fang: This one he did himself. This one he created himself. Some are others', some from friends. But if it's your own creation, it counts as an artwork. You could put your name on it, but in the trade it seems not many people recognize that.

Q: Are you married?

Fang: No.

Q: In Jixi now, is it that both men and women marry later? Or is it a choice?

Fang: It depends on the person. Not necessarily.

Q: How old are you?

Fang: Over 30.

Q: You don't want to marry either?

Fang: It depends on the person, on the individual. Some people might feel marriage is your choice.

Q: Or are you too busy, no time to marry?

Fang: Saying you have no time to marry—that's nonsense.

Q: So it's a choice?

Fang: Right. It depends on whether you want to marry. Marriage can be a lot of pressure.

Q: If you don't even consider marriage, will you consider children later?

Fang: It's precisely because I don't want to consider children that I don't consider marriage. I don't want to think about children either. Raising a kid seems really hard these days.

Q: If you had a child, would you want him to do this?

Fang: I probably wouldn't. Even if I had a child, I wouldn't consider him doing this. Because I feel it's like that in many trades—carpenters don't want their kids to be carpenters either. So whichever trade you say is good, whichever is what—unless it's a really lucrative, decent profession, like lawyer, doctor, that kind of thing.

Q: Do you like doing this? Have you ever made a piece you really liked, that you felt was especially good?

Fang: Sometimes I feel a bit of accomplishment. But after doing it so many years, it's been too long. I haven't made any particularly fine pieces. Sometimes there's no time. If there were, I'd just do it for myself, for fun.