Wang Zhankui, a seventy-year-old man from Shenze, has exquisite gourd pyrography skills

Wang Zhankui and the gourd pyrography he created.

In Beiliujiazhuang Village, Shenze County, Shijiazhuang, there is an old man famous for making pyrography. He has persisted in creating traditional Chinese paintings for many years, and a few years ago he also taught himself pyrography. The gourd pyrography and rice paper pyrography he created have won unanimous praise from the villagers, and he never refuses anyone who comes to "ask for a painting." His name is Wang Zhankui. He is 70 years old this year and is a farmer through and through. Not only did he learn traditional Chinese painting in his early years, he also taught himself pyrography, and in recent years he also learned to use the internet. The old man says that as long as one lives, one should keep learning, "When I come across something new that interests me, I still want to learn it!"

Wang Zhankui's small room is not large, but the cabinet is filled with pyrographed gourds of all sizes, roughly more than 40 by a quick count. Hanging on the wall are calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings all made by his own hand, and the pyrography hanging behind the workbench is also lifelike. "I have painted many works and given them all away, and only these gourd pyrography pieces are left. This rice paper pyrography I am working on now is also something an old friend asked me to burn for him," Wang Zhankui said. "Relatives and friends all like them, and that is also an affirmation of me. I am happy to give them away!"

Wang Zhankui loved art as a child, but due to family circumstances he could not study with a professional teacher, so he tinkered with drawing on his own. In the 1960s, a fellow villager who had worked elsewhere and studied professional painting returned to the village, and Wang Zhankui learned traditional Chinese painting from this fellow villager during slack farming seasons. After starting a family, although he still had to busy himself with farm work and take care of his family, painting was never set aside. Whenever he had time, he picked up a brush and created.

A few years ago, Wang Zhankui learned to use the internet, and a news item about gourd pyrography aroused his interest. He searched for information on pyrography and also bought an electric pyrography pen. His family grew gourds, so he used local materials, and from then on began his days of working with gourds.

"At first I could not accurately judge the temperature of the electric pyrography pen and could not control the dwell time well, but later I gradually became skilled." Kindly gods of longevity, nimble insects and fish, and noble peonies appear on the gourds, lifelike and praised by everyone.

At the beginning of this year, Wang Zhankui began making pyrography on rice paper. After several months of practice, he can already produce quite good finished works. Wang Zhankui is good at painting flowers and birds. Through the changes in pressure and speed when burning, he draws lively lines, making the overall painting more vivid.

Facing this room full of finished and half-finished works, Wang Zhankui wears a joyful smile. "When I come across something that interests me, I still want to learn it. People must keep learning; only then is life interesting!"