Written by: People's Daily
Posted on: November 19, 2018 | 
| 中文
Gong Zhankun negotiates with customers
Hammering a 0.2cm thick, 567 cm2 broad piece of metal smooth with precise measurements, Gong Zhankun, a technician of traditional Chinese gold craft, is making a violin front, with the techniques of molding, smelting, and engraving that have been carried forward for 3,000 years.
“Machines cannot achieve this but hammers can,” Gong Zhankun, Chief Technician of Beijing Orafi Jewelry Co., Ltd. is carefully hammering a 0.2cm thick, 567cm2 broad piece of metal fixed on to a rubber mat. Seeing a dent, he measures it with a scale. Every beat makes it closer to his ideal curve. With only a wooden desk, an incandescent lamp and several hammers, Gong makes the one and only metal violin with the traditional Chinese gold craftsmanship in the world.
A smooth surface of a tiny piece of jewelry wouldn’t be very extraordinary, but it is a wonder to hammer out one smooth surface of a big violin front, which cannot even be covered by both hands. Isn’t it supposed to have sags and crests?
Gong smiles. The two pieces of front and back are not only the highlight of his unique technique but also the essence of the traditional gold craft making. “Hammering the metal requires the most ancient smelting technique. The fragments of materials are melted into liquid and then poured into a mold to form a whole piece, which is to be pressed into a thin piece with certain thickness,” explains Gong, pointing at the smelting equipment. But how is the curve of the front and the back of a violin made by a flat metal piece?
Gong picks up a piece of wood, which resembles the size and shape of a violin front, “This is the handmade mold used for reference and it is almost exactly the same as the original violin.” Half of the wood is covered by parallel vertical and horizontal gridlines, crossing each other in 472 points marked with figures. “The tunes of a violin ask for a very strict standard of the curves. I don’t know much about music, so I consult violin teachers, who calculate the figure of each crossing point, with the help of the pictures and photos of famous 18th century violins.”
Based on the 1cm2 grid and the border of the front, and according to the figure of each crossing point, Gong hammers the metal more than 20,000 times and finally makes a perfect curve. Each blow seems to be guaranteed by a scale in his eyes, heart, and hands. No fine machines are relied on but the 23-year-old solid craftsmanship. It is a true wonder that all these dense blows upon a flat piece of metal could make such a smooth front with absolutely no sags and crests but only precise curves. It appears smooth like a pearl hidden in the water, for who knows how long it has been washed.
Except for the perfect curves on the front and the back of the violin, the bordering two lines along the two pieces of metal look common, but are also tricky to handle. A steady hammering force is also required here to create a well-balanced rim without any bumps. “It won’t be obvious if there is only a single line. Two parallel lines will surely look ugly if one goes wrong,” says Gong. A heavier blow on the line makes a deeper dent, therefore more metal is pushed forward and the line is not balanced; a lighter beat makes a shallow one but the effect isn’t correct. In short, uneven force creates rugged and ugly lines. The more common things are, the more patience must be paid. Force, angle, depth and direction, all constitute the handicraft of a technician.
Not long ago, a metal violin from China caused a sensation in an Italian violin museum. The violin is golden and bright, and has smooth, tender, and symmetrical curves on the front and on the back. Combined with the western musical instrument, the traditional Chinese art produces a mixed visual and auditory art that ignites splendid fireworks on the international platform.
Translated by Zhu Siyu
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