Craftsmen dedicated to inheriting ancient shipbuilding culture in SE China's Fujian

Cai Guodong, a craftsman in his 80s, has devoted several decades inheriting the shipbuilding culture in Xiangzhi township, Shishi city, southeast China's Fujian Province.

Xiangzhi is a famous fishing port, the hometown of many overseas Chinese and a shipbuilding base in China.

Cai Lixin assembles a ship model. (Photo/media convergence center of Shishi city)

Cai Guodong joined a shipbuilding factory in Xiangzhi in 1960 to learn shipbuilding techniques. "I've built models of various ships and I'm most interested in Fujian-style ships which are witnesses of the glory of Xiangzhi along the Maritime Silk Road," he said.

In 2011, Cai Guodong started to lead the effort to build a ship model museum in Xiangzhi. He invited experienced craftsmen to build models of ancient ships in the hope that when the ship models are put on display at the museum, they can showcase Xiangzhi's shipbuilding history to visitors.

Cai Lixin, his son, also joined the effort.

"It took us about two to three months to build a model of an ancient ship, without counting the time we spent preparing materials," said Cai Lixin, adding that they have been doing their best to recreate the ships in old times accurately down to the smallest detail.

The father and son run a workshop that builds models of ancient ships in Xiangzhi. Over more than 10 years, they have built many models of ancient ships in their spare time, with most on display at museums and cultural and sports centers in Xiangzhi.

Cai Guodong once saw a picture of an ancient merchant ship, which he believed was built in Xiangzhi, kept at a museum in Singapore. He looked up information about the ship and then spent more than three months building a model of it.

Cai Lixin works in his workshop. (Photo/media convergence center of Shishi city)

"Rich shipbuilding experience and historical knowledge are needed in this craft," said Cai Guodong. To ensure accuracy in every detail in shipbuilding, the father and son, who are not highly educated, often look up information about ancient ships and seek the assistance of experts in culture and history.

In 2021, UNESCO accepted "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" as a cultural property on its World Heritage List.

After this, the father and son started recreating ancient ships built during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. However, due to their limited access to information about those ships, they've been unable to accurately recreate some structures of the ships.

Cai Lixin said they hope that they can receive instructions and advice from professionals.

The father and son also hope that more people can be engaged in the traditional craft to pass on the shipbuilding culture to future generations.

Cai Lixin works in his workshop. (Photo/media convergence center of Shishi city)