The technical process of the knives and swords produced by "Baodaoheng" includes more than a dozen processes such as blank selection, forging, quenching, grinding, etc., and the steel blanks weighing dozens of kilograms must be forged into swords weighing more than one kilogram. The difficulty is evident. Heng Qitong explained that the impurities contained in the raw steel will cause the weapons to be easily deformed and broken. In order to solve this problem, forging is a critical step. At the same time, the strength of the sword is also enhanced through forging. But this takes a long time. After forging 30 kilograms of steel for 5 months, only about 1 kilogram of the blade or sword head is left. Basic introduction Chinese name: Baodaoheng Production process Attributes: Knife making process History: more than 270 years Representative works: Qianlong sword introduction, production process, Chinese swords, Japanese sword production technology, inheritance changes, inheritance methods, origin of craftsmanship, related links, introduction Baodaoheng Baodaoheng Since the Qing Dynasty, "Baodaoheng" has been outstanding in the north. It is a metal craft brand with national characteristics and royal style. It is known among the people as "Longquan Sword in the South and Baodao Heng in the North". The name "Baodaoheng" has a history of 270 years. The ancestor of "Baodao Heng" was a master of sword making among the people. He once followed Nurhachi's troops to make precious knives and swords, and then followed Huang Taiji to enter the customs. After entering Beijing, he specialized in making swords for the emperor and the imperial family. In 1672, the ancestor of the Heng family was given the surname Heng by Emperor Kangxi. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, a sword was made for Emperor Qianlong, named "Qianlong Saber Sword".
Since 1903, Heng Hongchang, the fifth generation descendant of the Heng family, opened a sword shop in Dong'an Market. Heng Daoming, the sixth generation descendant, used "Heng Daoming" and "Feiyan" as trademarks and exported folding knives to Germany and Japan. He once made wood carvings, seal cuttings and oil painting knives for Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong. After the public-private partnership in 1958, Heng Lianjiang, the seventh generation descendant, was mainly responsible for the knife and scissors factory. In 1992, Heng Qitong officially became the eighth generation successor. In 1995, he began to restore the traditional technology and production process of "Baodao Heng". In 2000, he opened a store in the "Old Beijing Street" underground in Xindong'an. Production process Expert argument Expert argument "Baodaoheng" has always insisted on manual forging. The technological process includes more than a dozen processes such as blank selection, forging, quenching, and grinding. The knives and swords produced have six characteristics: hard texture, smooth cut, brilliance in color, cool sound, thick body, and complete storage. "Baodao Heng" has many secrets and unique techniques in the production process. It concentrated the highest craftsmanship in hand forging such as knife and sword making in China at that time. It has historical value and academic research value for the study of the forging technology of Chinese cold weapons. "Baodaoheng" maintains the style of traditional Chinese cold weapons, retains the artistic characteristics of royal elegance, nobility and fineness, and has artistic appreciation value. Its practicality and use value are also self-evident. "And if a sword wants to become Baodao Heng's sword, it needs to go through another extremely important process, which is quenching." Heng Qitong revealed that if a quenched sword collides with an unquenched sword, the quenched sword will There is no chip on the sword. The chip on the sword that has not been tempered is already more than half a centimeter. The control of the quenching temperature depends purely on personal experience and skill, and others cannot learn it. Chinese Sword In the small store of "Baodao Heng", a huge sword is placed in the most conspicuous position. This is the "Chinese Sword" that Heng Qitong regards as his proud work. .
"In the past, our swords were more practical, but now they are more for decoration, so I have to do something creative." Heng Qitong said that he has been making swords since 1997. The planning and design is to make this "giant sword" that is 1.30 meters long and weighs 8 kilograms and 4 taels. At that time, because the sword head was too big, he had no choice but to make a new one. The scabbard is carefully carved from mahogany, and the decorations on the scabbard are all carved from jade. "Because it was too time-consuming and labor-intensive, my wife also strongly objected." However, after 3 years and 9 months, this exquisite handicraft, which inherited the handicraft skills of the century-old "Baodaoheng" brand, was finally completed. What makes him even more proud is that this work has been exhibited at the China Millennium Monument and four European countries. Now this sword has become the treasure of Heng Qitong's family.
In addition, Heng Qitong also used his unique skills in making miniature swords and made a 15 cm long sword. Since no machines can be used during the production process, it is completely hand-made and requires very accurate precision, so it has become a popular product of "Baodaoheng".
. Japanese Sword Production Technology Related Pictures According to Heng Qitong, to judge whether a sword or sword is excellent, it must be "hard in texture, smooth in cutting, radiant in color, cool in sound, thick in body, and complete in hiding." The hard texture refers to whether the hand-forged blade or sword head has been hammered to the specified hardness. Smoothness refers to the smoothness of well-made swords and swords. Except for the tip and the tip of the sword, no other part can harm the person who uses it. Color brilliance means that the polish of the blade and sword head should reflect all colors like a mirror. The cold sound means that the forged sword head and sword head have a cold light and a cold sound. The heaviness of the body means that the finished swords and swords must be beautiful, without any impetuousness, and must be able to be viewed for a long time without getting tired of it, and can withstand people's permanent appreciation of the work. The completeness of hiding means that a completed work must be complete.
In response to the question that Chinese swords are not as sharp as Japanese swords, Heng Qitong believes that this is caused by the differences in sword culture between the two countries, and the sharper the swords are not, the better. All the swords in "Bao Dao Heng" are unedged, but this does not affect the attack power of Chinese swords. Heng Qitong said that it is true that the production technology of Japanese swords was passed down from the Tang Dynasty of China. To this day, the appearance of Japanese swords resembles Tang swords. Japanese swords are edged, while Chinese swords are not edged, but they can also cut paper and cut steel bars. The answer can be found in traditional Chinese martial arts.
He said that because Chinese martial arts culture pays attention to courtesy, the first few moves are usually made by tapping and knocking to show respect. Once force is really used, even a blunt sword can break the opponent's muscles and bones. And just relying on the sharpness of the sword can sometimes only hurt people's flesh. However, Heng Qitong also admitted that because Japanese products were marketed earlier than China, China's swordsmanship does need to be improved in terms of new materials, new technologies and operations. Related pictures: Inheritance changes: "Because in the past, we made official swords exclusively for the palace and the imperial family. In order to preserve the craftsmanship that maintained the interests of the family, from the first generation successor Heng Shengzhi to my generation, we have abided by the 'oral and heart-to-heart teachings, and only passed down the surname Heng. Heng Qitong said that because the Heng family has its own strict methods and craftsmanship, it must not be passed on to outsiders, so "Baodao Heng", which has been around for hundreds of years, keeps its own production skills very close to its heart. deep. Now this has brought great difficulties to the inheritance and protection of "Baodaoheng".
"When we were young, several children of our generation learned this craft." Heng Qitong recalled, but now he is the only one who can do "all the work", and the others Either you only know a part of it, or you simply don’t want to continue doing this business. In order to pass on the centuries-old name "Baodao Heng" and prevent this ancient craft from being lost, Heng Qitong officially announced that he would pass on the ancestral craft to the next generation - his 17-year-old son Heng Bao. At the same time, he also broke the tradition of not passing on his craftsmanship to outsiders, and selected two disciples who loved traditional culture and had certain skills to teach them among his many apprentices. Inheritance method In addition, the Dongcheng District Cultural Committee also organized specialized personnel to search for materials in major libraries and archives, and collect and organize existing materials. Breaking the centuries-old inheritance method, the "Bao Dao Heng" production method and craft secrets that have remained unchanged for centuries are recorded in detail, leaving valuable wealth for future generations in the research and improvement of skills.
Nowadays, Hengqitong is no longer like the time-honored brand of the past, waiting for customers to come to its door. Instead, it is accustomed to carrying a laptop with you and selling the sword information you create to customers at home and abroad at any time. At the same time, he also sent his son to a business school to study, hoping that his descendants could package this traditional skill and bring it to the market, continuing the hundreds of years of family history of "Baodaoheng". The origin of craftsmanship is most profound in my childhood memories. At that time, the craftsmen walking in the streets and alleys of Beijing, a big city, attracted our young and innocent hearts with their various unique skills. To this day, the scenes from that year are still vivid in my mind, including the colorful dough figures, fun and delicious candy figures, windmills with little red flags, and the fragrant popcorn... Today's modern buildings have replaced the quiet and beautiful buildings. The ancient hutongs and courtyards, and the folk discourse related to them, are also gradually drifting away. There are fewer and fewer genuine Beijing craftsmen. In today's temple fairs, all we see are vendors selling Beijing craftsmanship. The windmill is much rougher than when I was a child, and the figures are just extremely simple shapes... all we see is the hustle and bustle of the world.
Folk crafts are intangible and cultural heritage. They are human and individual, local and national. They embody human understanding and spiritual pursuit of the world, and contain human wisdom and creativity. force.
The biggest feature of Beijing’s craftsmanship is its exquisite production. The folk craftsmanship at the emperor’s feet all use palace skills that have been passed down for many years. However, many crafts are in an endangered state, their demise is accelerating, and once lost, it is difficult to recover and regenerate. And the memory is actually a kind of nostalgia at this time. We hope to use pictures and texts to record Beijing’s craftsmanship here, and to use images and words to narrate those passing years. Related links Since the Qing Dynasty, "Baodaoheng" has been outstanding in the north. It is a metal craft brand with national characteristics and royal style. There is a folk saying that "there is the Longquan Sword in the south and the Baodao Heng in the north".
The name "Baodaoheng" has a history of 270 years. In 1672, the ancestor of the Heng family was given the surname Heng by Emperor Kangxi. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, a sword was made for Emperor Qianlong, named "Qianlong Saber Sword".
Starting in 1903, Heng Hongchang, the fifth generation descendant of the Heng family, broke the tradition in the late Qing Dynasty and opened a sword shop at the west gate of Jinyu Hutong (Xiaobing Field), that is, in the Dong'an Market, with the factory located in the East Polishing Factory. Hutong No. 17. Heng Daoming, the sixth generation descendant, used "Heng Daoming" and "Feiyan" as trademarks and exported folding knives to Germany and Japan. He once made wood carvings, seal cuttings and oil painting knives for Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong. After the public-private partnership in 1958, Heng Lianjiang, the seventh generation descendant, was mainly responsible for the knife and scissors factory. In 1992, Heng Qitong officially became the eighth generation successor. In 1995, he began to restore the traditional technology and production process of "Baodao Heng". In 2000, he opened a store in the "Old Beijing Street" underground in Xindong'an.
"Baodaoheng" has always insisted on manual forging. The technological process includes more than a dozen processes such as blank selection, forging, quenching, and grinding. The knives and swords produced have six characteristics: hard texture, smooth cut, brilliance in color, cool sound, thick body, and complete storage.
"Baodao Heng" has many secrets and unique techniques in the production process. It concentrated the highest craftsmanship in China's knife and sword making and other hand-forging techniques at that time. It has historical value for the study of the forging technology of Chinese cold weapons. and academic research value. "Baodaoheng" maintains the style of traditional Chinese cold weapons and retains the artistic characteristics of royal elegance, nobility and fineness. It has artistic appreciation value, and its practicality and use value are self-evident. Currently on display and for sale at the "Old Beijing Street" underground in Xindong'an, Wangfujing, Beijing.