Inheritor passes on craft of wooden ship making

Liu Xinglin examines a ship model in a workshop in Shuangzhong township, Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)

Liu Xinglin, a provincial-level inheritor of the craft of Hukou wooden ship making, plies his trade in a workshop in Shuangzhong township, Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province.

Liu has been engaged in the trade of building wooden ships since he was 16. He has designed and crafted a variety of wooden ships and powerboats. In the 1990s, wooden boats were phased out as steel ships became more popular. Liu decided to go into the business, working for many years building ships in east China's Zhejiang Province and south China's Guangdong Province.

Photo shows ship models made by Liu Xinglin. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)

In 2012, to preserve the craft of wooden boat making, Liu, who was over 60 years, returned to his hometown to continue to hone his shipbuilding skills.

Liu organized information on wooden boat culture and manufacturing techniques, transformed large ships into ship models, and brought these stories to life.

"The process of making ship models differs greatly from building large ships. While the largest ship can be tens of meters long, a ship model is less than one meter, sometimes just a few dozen centimeters. Despite their small size, ship models present their own challenges as they are primarily for display, requiring skilled craftsmanship," Liu explained.

Liu Xinglin works on a wooden ship component. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)

"Ship model making requires both the skills of shipbuilding and furniture crafting, combining these two techniques," Liu added.

Currently, Liu has developed dozens of cultural and creative products centered on wooden boats. Many of his ship models have been collected by local museums.

Liu Xinglin shows a ship model. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)

Photo shows a ship model made by Liu Xinglin. (People's Daily Online/Kong Wenjin)