Production Procedure＞ Production of Shenjiang Head

Production of Shenjiang Head

1.Introduction

The head is the most import component of Shenjiang statues since it determines the deity and solemnity of a Shenjiang statue. After visiting Master Lin and Mr. Liang-chuan Wang, we concluded that Taiwanese sculptors made all the Shenjiang statues in Luzhou, except for the following: old General Ba Shenjiang of Heyi She, Wan Li Shenjiang of Lelele, Weituo and Jilan Shenjiang of Anle Xuan, and Shancai and Longnu Shenjiang of Nanyi Xuan. Basically, there are two categories of Shenjiang heads in terms of sizes: general Shenjiang head, and General Qi and General Ba Shenjiang. A Shenjiang head has three sizes; one is the largest, next is the second largest, and third is the smallest. Most of Luzhou Shenjiang have the third kind of head.

2.Steps of Sculpting
1. Selecting a good camphor wood. The sculptors first check the grain, texture, and oiliness of the wood. They don’t choose the camphor wood from graveyards to sculpt things for gods, since they believe the wood from graveyards may have been invaded by demons because of its yinchi, which may incur misfortune to the believers.
2. Selecting a day. The sculptors always check the moon calendar before they start to sculpt things for gods, hoping for an auspicious day. They also worship with tributes to plead for a successful sculpting.
3. Begin carving. The followings are the most important places for a face carving: eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. The contour and shape of the face are also important for face carving. The sculptor first carves the face, smoothens it with sandpaper, and then paints it with the primer paint. When it dries, the sculptor smoothens it again with fine sandpaper, and then paints it with Fuzhou paint. The next phase is to paint the opera face. This phase takes about six to seven days. The process is very tedious. The eyes and mouth of the Shenjiang must be able to move, so these are the toughest parts of the job. This can give Master Lin a headache.

4. Mounting the beard and eyebrows. These need to be made from a little girl’s hair. To be sure it’s really a virgin’s hair, the Shenjiang buyers mostly like to use their family or close friend’s little girl’s hair. They also have to choose a good day according to the moon calendar. On the day of the haircut, the girl needs to wash her hair at home first, and then go to the temple to pray before the haircut. The cut hair needs to be cleaned again and boiled so that it can be used for a beard and eyebrows.

The engraving tools for carving Shenjiang statues

Mr. Wang focuses on carving a statue.

 

 

Mr. Wang demonstrates to us.

 

 

It takes at least thirty thousand carves for engraving a Shenjiang head.

3.Preclusions of Production
1. Do not Rush. The wood has to dry completely before engraving to avoid cracking and distorting conditions.
2. Must use a little girl’s hair. It represents purity.

3. Do not use the wood growing in the graveyard to avoid being invaded by demons.
4.Afterthoughts
Kuan-ting Ho: We could tell how seriously Master Lin wants to preserve this traditional skill when watching him engrave a Shenjiang head during the interview. Master Lin said the young generation today only like quick work, instead of hard and time-consuming work. Therefore, we need to protect this traditional skill. For that, we chose the theme for our project.

It is hard work engraving the Shenjiang head.
Yuang-ting Tseng: I used to think engraving a Shenjiang head didn’t need any rituals for it, just like regular sculpture carving. Now, I realize there are actually many taboos and rituals involved. I think it is impossible to carve a Shenjiang head without willpower and patience. I think it does not only require skills but also the sculptor must be really willing to make it. If a sculptor is forced to make one, then he would have no patience for his job and the work would not be pretty.

Mr. Wang told us about his carving career.
Pin-yu Wu: After understanding the process of making Shenjiang heads, I learned: It takes lots of practice for a sculptor to become an expert. Therefore, when seeing a mighty Shenjiang statue next time, we should remember the group of hard-working sculptors behind the scene.
Ming-hsien Hsu: After the interview with Master Lin, I’ve learned the procedure of production, the materials and tools used, and the rituals to be followed when making a Shenjiang head. The hair of a Shenjiang head is made of a girls’ hair, not nylon of synthetic materials; the starting day must be an auspicious day. The process of carving, polishing, and painting is a very complicated project with many steps. I really admire Master Lin!
Hsin-yu Li: The head is the emphasis of a Shenjiang statue. We can see the charm and majesty of a Shenjiang statue from the head; however, it’s not an easy job since there are many taboos and rituals to follow. Patience is a must for completing the great work! I was surprised that the beard and eyebrows of Shenjiang were made out of little girls’ hair. Next time when I see Shenjiang, I’ll remember the scene of the hard-working masters.
Shun-wei Huang: I believe an artwork (Shenjiang head) is made of various components. None of the components can be forgotten; for example, without a head, a Shenjiang is not perfect. On the other hand, without a body, a Shenjiang is not perfect either. Therefore, I think we must do things from the beginning to the end; we cannot skip any step for making a perfect Shenjiang statue.
Yu-chi Hsu: A successful Shenjiang statue shows the divinity of Shenjiang. I really admire the sculptors of Shenjiang heads. Even though there are many taboos, the sculptors never skip any troublesome steps to preserve the old culture. We probably cannot imagine how much time and effort is consumed for making just the head of a Shenjiang.
Po-hung Wang: I’ve found it to not be an easy job making a Shenjiang head, ever since we visited Master Lin. There are so many details to take care; neither taboos and rituals nor components can be skipped! I am glad that I’ve observed the whole procedure and knew the mechanism inside the Shenjiang head. It was a really beneficial visit to me!

Master Lin’s works and tools

We enjoyed Master Lin’s proud works curiously.

Master Lin demonstrates how to drill holes.

 

Master Lin carefully placed the hair into the drilled holes.