Composition of fire cage for rural heating.

In the cold winter, people need to rely on fire to keep warm in order to keep out the cold. People in cities use electric cookers, electric heating plates, hot air conditioners and other warm-keeping equipment. However, today, in my hometown of Guidong County, in the countryside, uncles, aunts, sisters-in-law, and children ... are still carrying fire cages to keep warm, continuing the ancient customs of life for thousands of years. A fire cage, like a farmer's little "baby".

In order to understand the skills and folk culture of fire cages, Guo, director of the Joint Working Committee of Qiaotou Township CPPCC, and I went into Hengdian Village and Shangyi Village, which are famous for lighting cages.

Hengdian Village is in the west of Qiaotou Township, bordering Gankeng and Xiatou Village. /kloc-a village of 0/380 people with more than 8,000 mu of bamboo. Here, "the bamboo leaves are green and refuse to get old, and the branches are clearly cold-resistant." Rich bamboo resources provide unique conditions for craftsmen in eastern Guangxi to make fire cages.

When we came to the Xiazu of Shanshan, we walked into Huang Yizhi's home. This is a couple who are making fire cages. After enjoying the craft for a while, they walked into the home of neighbor He Chengchu. Master He's home is full of fire cages, one after another, which looks like bamboo baskets in life.

Master He, of medium build, 52, is very talkative. He said that he has been knitting fire cages for 30 years, and all his six sisters learned this craft because they were poor.

"How many fire cages have you made up so far?" In the face of doubt, Master He smiled: "Without statistics, it is exaggerated to say that there are 10,000, but there are actually 6,000."

Guidong fire cage has a simple structure, which consists of cage body, cage handle, cage bowl, cage cover and cage bottom. Most of the materials are bamboo.

Master He is an "old school" firecracker in the village. He said it is important to choose the materials for firecrackers. Bamboo is old and tender, soft and tough. Generally speaking, from summer to the future, cut bamboo and choose middle-aged (three or four years) bamboo that grows in loose sand, sunny, moth-eaten and decayed, and does not grow in the Rocky Mountains or in the shade. In order to "beauty contest", we often go further and further. Bamboo is cut back, and after the same bamboo is cut open, the quality of bamboo is also high or low. Bamboo green is the best material, and bamboo yellow is a little worse. Different kinds of bamboo should be treated physically and chemically. Processing and utilization are also classified.

We see that the cage of the fire cage is cylindrical. The master said that the cage is woven, with an outer circumference and an inner circumference. The periphery is a place to show beauty. In order to attract attention, the material used is fine bamboo green, carefully woven with a thin piece of bamboo green, and the interface of bamboo green is hidden in the column of the fire cage. People can't see the inside of the fire cage, so the material is bamboo yellow and the bamboo strips are rough and rough. In order to cut the quilt evenly, the key is to tighten the nut of the cutting machine, and it is best to transform the iron wheel into a pulley so that there is no gap. Make a false name for the fence, cut it, not only boil it, but also dry it in the sun, so as to preserve it.

Master He said frankly that in order to make the fire cage beautiful, we should pay attention to the layout of various parts in the production. For example, a fire cage with a diameter of 8 inches has a cage height of 14 cm and a cage handle of 28 cm, while a fire cage with a diameter of 9 inches has a cage height of 15 cm and a cage handle of 30 cm. Other parts of the fire cage-cage bowl, cage cover and cage bottom-should also be adjusted accordingly.

In addition, the cage handle, that is, the cage handle, can not be made of old bamboo, which is easy to break when it is bent. In order to shape the cage handle, it must be cooked. Rolling in a fire cage is a basic skill. If you do more, practice makes perfect. The bottom of the cage is a round board, and the cage cover is screwed into a hollow cover with iron wire. The fire cage bowl is placed in the cylindrical cage body. In the past, people in eastern Guangxi were poor, and the fire bowls were mostly mud bowls. Nowadays, fire bowls are all made of aluminum pot or tinplate. The shape of the fire bowl is also exquisite. Generally speaking, there are large and small, similar to flowerpots, and there is a gap between them and the bottom of the cage. In this way, when the cupping jar is filled with hot charcoal, it can prevent the cupping jar from burning or burning the cage body.

At Master He's house, we saw him processing fire cages and operating them according to their components. Then, the finished product is assembled and the fire cage is finished. This is probably to improve economic efficiency.

After the fire cages are made one by one, craftsmen will "beautify" the fire cages and color them with tung oil before they go on the market. Now that tung oil is scarce, the fruit of Gardenia, a natural plant, is boiled into water, and the water turns yellow. It is painted on a fire cage to make a base, and then painted with varnish. The fire cage is charming and shiny.

Master He said that in the past, villagers carried a bamboo from Hengdian to the pit to worship the teacher in an endless stream. Not anymore. Those who have learned also go to work outside.

There are not many materials for manufacturing fire cages, and the cost is low, but there are more than 20 manufacturing links. In addition to the bridgehead in Guidong, other towns and villages will also fabricate fire cages. Skillful craftsmen will build fire cages and take the family as the "performance" unit. Men will play the leading role and women will play the supporting role. Two a day, skilled workers can make three fire cages.

Fire cages also bring business opportunities to craftsmen. A fire cage on the market can be sold for 100 yuan. Many farmers with fire cages have built "foreign houses". In Shangyi Village, Master Peng, who had just returned from selling fire cages by motorcycle, said that most of the fire cages were wholesale in Jiangxi and sold well. Once, a Fujian boss asked for 10 thousand yuan, because there was no supply, he didn't take this business. It is understood that the fire cages in Guidong are exported to Taiwan Province Province.

Who was the first to make fire cages in Guidong? There is no written record. But the fire cage is undoubtedly the crystallization of the diligence and wisdom of Guidong people.

The seemingly ordinary fire cage also carries a strong folk history and culture of a place. Because of the fire cage, in the rural areas of eastern Guangxi, fire cages are in full bloom everywhere. It is a living custom to make a fire to keep warm and lift the fire cage.

People in eastern Guangxi use fire cages to keep warm, which is called "burning fire". When they leave the warm fire cage, they say "the heat is hard to leave" as they walk. Some people also know the folk song of singing the fire cage-"It snows in November, and the portable fire cage enters the door ..." Aunties use the fire cage to keep warm, and like to wear aprons with black background and white flowers. This is nothing more than a wider heating range and a higher utilization rate of fire resources. Grandfathers hold a long chimney in their mouths to keep warm, hold it up with their hands and reach into the fire cage, "click" and "click". In a flash, a wisp of smoke came out of the ashtray. As the saying goes, "where there is water in the chimney, there will be rain", and uncle's long chimney also predicts the weather for you.

People in rural areas of eastern Guangxi, such as visiting, attending banquets and watching movies, also like to bring fire cages. When chatting in Tu Ping, people can sit on the handle of the fire cage when there is no stool. When young women cook in the morning, they never forget to shovel one or two warm fire cages for their parents-in-law who get up late to show their filial piety to their elders. Mothers, or use the fire cage as a "dryer" to dry diapers, or prepare a fire cage for their children at school to keep out the cold, leaving a warm love for their children.

Do you remember? Once upon a time, on a cold day, you walked into the farmhouse in Guidong, whether it was an adult or a child. When you arrive, they provide you with a burning fire cage, so that you can share the warmth and happiness of the burning fire.

Xie, director of Hengdian Village in Qiaotou Township, said that the fire cage is not only a necessary daily necessities for rural families, but also a daughter's dowry! Today, this custom continues.

Guidong Huolong handed down from history is a good folk handicraft and a "postcard" for people in Guidong to keep warm. Guidong Huolong has written a brilliant stroke in the history of heating, warming generation after generation and harmonizing the countryside.