Traditional Drum-making Techniques Passed Down for A Century

Xiong Weiguo, a college graduate born in the 1980s, is the sixth-generation inheritor of Yiyang Xiong's leather drum making technique. He returned to his hometown over 10 years ago and has since been engaged in leather drum business passed down from his ancestors. Xiong's leather drum, recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, has a recorded inheritance history of over 100 years. A drum is composed of a drum leather, a drum body, a bamboo mold, bamboo nails, bamboo resonance strings, and other components. The making techniques are precise and complicated. In recent years, Xiong Weiguo has followed the traditional drum making techniques while making innovations. Based on the conventional barrel-type ones, he has developed a series of new drum types including washtub drums, drums for children, and artistic drums. The photo shows Xiong Weiguo making a leather drum with traditional techniques at Matou Village, Longguangqiao Neighborhood, Heshan District, Yiyang. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Wei)

Xiong Weiguo, a college graduate born in the 1980s, is the sixth-generation inheritor of Yiyang Xiong's leather drum making technique. He returned to his hometown over 10 years ago and has since been engaged in leather drum business passed down from his ancestors. Xiong's leather drum, recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, has a recorded inheritance history of over 100 years. A drum is composed of a drum leather, a drum body, a bamboo mold, bamboo nails, bamboo resonance strings, and other components. The making techniques are precise and complicated. In recent years, Xiong Weiguo has followed the traditional drum making techniques while making innovations. Based on the conventional barrel-type ones, he has developed a series of new drum types including washtub drums, drums for children, and artistic drums. The photo shows Xiong Weiguo making a leather drum with traditional techniques at Matou Village, Longguangqiao Neighborhood, Heshan District, Yiyang. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Wei)

Xiong Weiguo, a college graduate born in the 1980s, is the sixth-generation inheritor of Yiyang Xiong's leather drum making technique. He returned to his hometown over 10 years ago and has since been engaged in leather drum business passed down from his ancestors. Xiong's leather drum, recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, has a recorded inheritance history of over 100 years. A drum is composed of a drum leather, a drum body, a bamboo mold, bamboo nails, bamboo resonance strings, and other components. The making techniques are precise and complicated. In recent years, Xiong Weiguo has followed the traditional drum making techniques while making innovations. Based on the conventional barrel-type ones, he has developed a series of new drum types including washtub drums, drums for children, and artistic drums. The photo shows Xiong Weiguo making a leather drum with traditional techniques at Matou Village, Longguangqiao Neighborhood, Heshan District, Yiyang. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Wei)

Xiong Weiguo, a college graduate born in the 1980s, is the sixth-generation inheritor of Yiyang Xiong's leather drum making technique. He returned to his hometown over 10 years ago and has since been engaged in leather drum business passed down from his ancestors. Xiong's leather drum, recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, has a recorded inheritance history of over 100 years. A drum is composed of a drum leather, a drum body, a bamboo mold, bamboo nails, bamboo resonance strings, and other components. The making techniques are precise and complicated. In recent years, Xiong Weiguo has followed the traditional drum making techniques while making innovations. Based on the conventional barrel-type ones, he has developed a series of new drum types including washtub drums, drums for children, and artistic drums. The photo shows Xiong Weiguo making a leather drum with traditional techniques at Matou Village, Longguangqiao Neighborhood, Heshan District, Yiyang. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Wei)

Xiong Weiguo, a college graduate born in the 1980s, is the sixth-generation inheritor of Yiyang Xiong's leather drum making technique. He returned to his hometown over 10 years ago and has since been engaged in leather drum business passed down from his ancestors. Xiong's leather drum, recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, has a recorded inheritance history of over 100 years. A drum is composed of a drum leather, a drum body, a bamboo mold, bamboo nails, bamboo resonance strings, and other components. The making techniques are precise and complicated. In recent years, Xiong Weiguo has followed the traditional drum making techniques while making innovations. Based on the conventional barrel-type ones, he has developed a series of new drum types including washtub drums, drums for children, and artistic drums. The photo shows Xiong Weiguo making a leather drum with traditional techniques at Matou Village, Longguangqiao Neighborhood, Heshan District, Yiyang. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Wei)

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday