A few days ago, the awarding ceremony of coloured boat culture base was held in Xianxiang Town, Yinzhou District. Xianxiang's colorful boats are not only numerous and diverse, but also have a high craft value.
Xianxiang's coloured boats have a history of more than 100 years. The colorful boats were first used by fishermen as a good luck charm, praying for the return of the fishing boats with a full load, and their harvest symbolism has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of local people. Every year in the eighth and ninth months of the lunar calendar, when cotton, fish and shrimps have a good harvest, the local people celebrate it by making colourful boats.
Most of the initial colourful boats were made of gauze, thin paper, bamboo and other materials, but now they are mostly made of wood and carved with dragons, phoenixes and dramatic characters, combining carpentry, carving and painting techniques.
In 2007, the technique of making colourful boats in Xianxiang Town was selected for the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Zhejiang Province. In order to further promote and popularise the culture of colourful boats, Xianxiang Town has also opened a workshop for making colourful boat.
By Dong Na