'Red Boat' Created with Sorghum Stalks by an ICH Inheritor from Henan
历时3个多月、没用一滴颜料，非遗传承人闫玉虎用高粱秆“画”出南湖红船
Sorghum stalks, often discarded as useless, have been transformed into a series of lifelike paintings by an inheritor of an intangible cultural heritage project in Central China's Henan province. Born in the 1980s in Huaiyang county of Zhoukou city, Henan province, Yan Yuhu has not only created a variety of folk products with sorghum stalks, such as the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, but also recreated a famous "Red Boat".
平日里弃之无用的高粱秆，被一位非遗传承人巧手一变，成了一幅幅栩栩如生的画作。80后非遗传承人闫玉虎，不仅用高粱秆做出了十二生肖等多种民俗产品，还还原了一艘有名的“红船”。
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"Red Boat" costing Yan more than 3 months
历时三个多月“画”出的红船
"Steering a New Journey with the Spirit of Red Boat", which is created by Yan, got the first prize in the Folk Art Competition of Henan Province, the only award-winning work in this category.
闫玉虎的这幅代表作——《红船引领再出发》，被评为河南省民间艺术大赛的一等奖，也是所有获奖作品中唯一的高粱秆画类别。
Based on the Red Boat on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing city, Southeast China's Zhejiang province, this work is 3 meters long and 1 meter wide.
《红船引领再出发》长3米、宽1米，它是仿照位于浙江省嘉兴市的南湖红船所创作的。
"It was in 2017 that I came up with the idea of 'drawing' the Red Boat on Nanhu Lake with sorghum stalks." According to Yan, "This Red Boat not only embodies the theme of 'staying true to our founding mission', but also expresses our sincere commitment to the Communist Party of China, so I believe it is of great practical and educational significance."
“2017年，我萌生出用高粱秆‘画’南湖红船的想法。”闫玉虎回忆，“这艘红船体现出了‘不忘初心、牢记使命’的主题，也表达出对中国共产党的一颗赤诚之心，我觉得很有现实意义和教育意义。”
Easier said than done. For one thing, Yan did not see the Red Boat himself. Instead, he searched the Internet for the Red Boat's structures. "Mapping and drawing costed me about 2 months," said Yan.
想着容易，可做起来难。首先面临的难关是闫玉虎并没有亲眼看到过这艘船，他只能全网搜索红船的照片，360度地观察红船结构。“光前前后后搜图、制图，就花了我两个月的时间。”闫玉虎说。
The workload of the Red Boat painting is no less than a mechanical drawing. Yan has to lay out the structure of the Red Boat first and paint it step by step. The Red Boat has many parts, so he has to work very carefully on the details. When it comes to the important step, he simply locks himself in his room, surrounded by piles of sorghum stalks.
红船画的制作，并不亚于绘制一份机械图。闫玉虎要把红船的结构摊开来，一点一点地绘制。船上的零件多，他就细细地抠每一处的细节，就是为了还原最真实的红船。到了拼贴的重要环节，他把自己锁在屋子里，身旁是一堆又一堆的高粱秆。
Without using any pigments, the Red Boat is colored by sorghum stalks at different times.
记者了解到，这幅画中，没有使用一滴颜料，红船上的色差是高粱秆不同时期呈现出的颜色。
In this way, it took Yan more than 3 months to finish such a work.
就这样，花了三个多月的时间，闫玉虎终于完成了这个倾注了巨大心血的作品。
Ancient sorghum-stalk painting revitalized with Yan's efforts
在他手中，古老的高粱秆画焕发新生
Although untalkative, Yan will not stop until reaching his goal.
闫玉虎并不善言辞，但只要认准了一件事，就会竭尽所能将其呈现出来。
Sorghum-stalk painting has a history of over 100 years. As the 7th-generation inheritor, Yan is dedicated to pass on such techniques due to his love for this cause.
就像高粱秆画，在民间已有上百年的历史，闫玉虎作为秫秸画第七代传承人，也秉承着祖辈对这份事业的热爱，将这样的民间艺术传承下去。
"The times are progressing. I hope, with my own efforts, the sorghum-stalk painting can be invigorated and have stronger vigor in the new era." Yan said that he has also published his works on Kuaishou. Like many folk artists on Kuaishou, he hopes that the sorghum-stalk painting can be revitalized with the help of new media, attracting more young people.
“时代在进步，我希望高粱秆画能在我手中焕发新生，与新时代碰撞出更强的生命力。”闫玉虎说，为此他注册了快手App，发布高粱秆画。和快手上很多民间艺人一样，他希望高粱秆画能被短视频这种新媒介盘活，让更多的年轻人看见。
"Yan has brought new strength to this ancient handicraft in a new era." Zhao Litao from Zhengzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center remarked, "(I) also hope that there will be more 'Yan' in the future to enrich our intangible cultural heritages and pass on their spirits!"
“可以说，闫玉虎让这个古老的手工艺在新时代释放出新的活力。”郑州市非物质文化遗产保护中心的赵利涛说，“也希望有更多的‘闫玉虎’出现，丰富我们的非物质文化遗产名目，并把这类文化的精神传承下去！”（中文来源/河南商报 翻译/赵汉青 海报/实习生王君艺 审校/陈行洁）