Mean Lantern: How I Was Defeated by Wires
For the December issue of the Beijinger, we sent our editors out to try their hand at traditional Chinese crafts. An excerpt of their experiences was featured in the magazine. The following is the full version of their story.
I’m not sure what I expected when I set up my first lantern-making class. I think I imagined myself a quick study who would soon fill my apartment with hanging orbs casting candlelight over my living room. (I hear the flickering light hides the mess.) I’m sorry to say it hasn’t worked out quite that way.
It’s not that I’m not handy, or that the lanterns themselves are disappointing. It’s just, man, I had no clue what it took to make one of these. Turns out one must twist and weave multiple strings of thin wire, in a sort of chain-link pattern, to form the body of a traditional Chinese lantern. Some are boxy (constructed from multiple panels) and some are spherical (simpler, but require inhuman motor control). All include a coat of black paint and panels of red fabric pasted to the inside of the wire frame. A base for holding a candle connects to a wire hanger at the top to complete the craft.
I told my teacher, Mr. Zhou, that I needed to complete one with his help, and he looked very sad. As soon as I started working, I understood why. I twisted and twisted. The wires poked me. If I twisted in the wrong direction, I had to untwist and reshape it. An hour later, with hands looking like I’d arm-wrestled Wolverine, I held up a lumpy, misshapen panel that Mr. Zhou spent another 15 minutes fixing. That was one of four needed for the lantern we were constructing, not to mention top and bottom sections that used a different weaving pattern. We started on a second panel, but that one didn’t go any faster, and I was doubtful as to whether my malformed pieces would fit together very obligingly. After that first lesson, I walked out of Mr. Zhou’s hutong with fresh blisters and a foreboding sense that I had bitten off more than I could chew.
The second session went more smoothly, but that’s largely because the kind teacher finished my other two panels for me so we could move on. Even then, I left several hours later with a naked wire frame and skeptically given instructions for painting and fabricking. My finished lantern is great, but will I be filling my house with these? Hell, no. Will I enjoy the one I have? I’ll update you on that as soon as I manage to burn a candle within inches of fabric, paint and glue without setting my home on fire.
Price and venue: RMB 160/two-hour session, Gift of Hope
The rewards of persevering: Completing one good-looking lantern with the teacher’s help takes at least 1-2 classes, while becoming skilled enough to make lanterns for sale would take at least 25 classes. Mastering the skills would take years of training.
Click here to see the December issue of the Beijinger in full.
Photos: Judy Zhou
