工匠最早指的是手工业者，他们我国在古代被称为“百工”，是具有非凡智慧的“创物者”。他们沉浸在手工艺的世界里，慢慢打磨自己的手艺，磨炼自己的心性，用精湛的技艺回报岁月。中国传统手工艺人超凡脱俗的技艺与精益求精的精神穿越岁月的风云，却又代代相承，已经成为中华传统文化中不可或缺的部分。“中华文化传承之匠心·工匠的故事”正是一套用“中国故事的讲述方式、中国传统绘画的表现形式、当代绘本的艺术样式”来讲述中国工匠技艺与精神的绘本。

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        这套绘本包含了《瓷》《茶》《纸》《扇》四册，讲述了龙泉“青瓷”、富阳“竹纸”、龙井“茶叶”、江南的“扇子”几种传统手工艺的制作技艺和传承。翻开典雅大气的绘本，让人跟随书中的图文，缓缓进入久远的年代，感受工匠们平凡朴实却氤氲着生气的日常，滤去焦虑与浮躁，细细品味匠人心无旁骛的专注、精益求精的匠心、方正持重的风骨气度，还有几十年如一日的坚守和生生不息地将手艺世代传承的精神。

        除了工艺之美手艺精深的同时，匠人们的工作与生活也让人心生慨叹，不计名利的默默付出、对技艺的敬畏之心、诚实守信的职业操守无不让人敬佩。制瓷其中制作匣钵的工匠，也许一辈子也没有做过一件艺术品，可是每一件杰作的背后都有他们的身影，他们同样值得被敬重！青瓷中釉的配方不尽相同，但是制瓷人不会去打听别家的配方，因为这是行业的规矩，更是一种尊重。制纸揭纸时，面对比自己身体高、如不小心会瞬间破损的纸，工匠们满怀敬畏之心。客商来取扇子时，制扇的师傅一定会把扇子的瑕疵处告诉客商，因为他的信念是“扇有瑕，常；人要白璧无瑕”。

        这其中，浓浓的父子之情、手足之情、邻里之情、师徒之情、朋友之情，中国人特有的人情味，浸洇在简约灵动的文字和气韵生动的水墨画卷中。这种种缱绻的情感，是中国人人文精神和人文情怀的延续，朴素却又温暖：这是《瓷》中，家里媳妇的勤劳操持，将一家老小的日常生活打点得舒适温馨；这是《茶》中，茶人炒制时，父子搭档、兄弟配合、邻里互助的默契配合；这是《纸》中，男孩们早早领悟到的对家庭的责任和担当，将那份制纸的工作不急不缓地落在自己的手上，真诚地接过，认真地完成；更是《扇》中，做扇套的阿牛娘儿子生病了，扇子铺的老板请伙计多给她一成工钱时，人与人之间的信赖和扶持。

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        绘画的表现是绘本极其重要的一面。这套绘本采用水墨画的形式，将传统工匠的故事娓娓道来，从内容到形式，达到了完美的统一。

        《瓷》《茶》《纸》由盛元富绘制。盛元富是著名的中国画、插画、连环画家。他以绘画为乐，虽已古稀之年，仍然精神健朗，且笔墨不辍。盛先生不慕名利，爽快地答应为这套儿童绘本创作插画，意在为孩子做一点有意义的事。看这三本绘本的创作，老练持重的笔墨挥洒自如，水墨氤氲间可见宋人山水，生活场景的描绘一气呵成，设色清新拙朴，浓淡相宜。

        《扇》由青年女画家吴珍之女士创作。这是她第一次创作儿童绘本，因为喜欢这个题材，所以欣然接受了绘本的创作。她的笔墨，新颖活泼而又酣畅淋漓、挥洒自如。擅变的水墨流转中，时而淡雅，时而浓郁，色彩如流光溢彩般闪烁。

        两位画家的绘画起于心，重于情，得乎趣，单纯而又真挚，达到了中国画意境、气韵、格调俱佳的境界，赋予平凡的工匠故事以艺术的审美价值。

        书籍的装帧直观地凸显图书的气质之美。绘本折页形式的腰封上，呈现了中国美术家协会副主席潘公凯先生“中国画文化传承之匠心”的书法题词。

        将腰封展开，便是一整张意蕴生动的水墨画，可谓匠心独运。图书的封面采用的是细布纹的特种纸，完美地呈现了水墨画特有的水墨晕染的绘画层次和效果，仿佛是一幅画在绢布上的古画，别致典雅。打开外封，内封的设计采用了立式的竖构图，设计语言更加豁达而有权重，增加了阅读的节奏感。环衬用大大的书法体书名占据整个跨页，恣意酣畅。书名页跨页通版的设计，更是大胆而又别出心裁。

        整个图书的装帧设计简洁、古朴，给人自然流畅之感。从某种角度来说，书装是否也可以说是一种工艺之美呢？

        这套书，文字书写的是敬意，绘画表达的是真与纯，装帧设计传递的是真诚温暖，是对中国几千年来珍贵技艺与立业风骨的传承，是融入中国人血液中特有的朴素、纯粹、内敛的为人处事品格的延续。这是图书更想表达的一份情怀。所谓“技艺为骨，匠心为魂”，中华民族古老的文明印记和民族之魂也正在于此。

An Editor’s Notes to Stories of Artisans: Chinese Craftsmanship

The author is the editor of Stories of Artisans: Chinese Craftsmanship, a four-volume picture book released in November 2018 by Zhejiang Children’s Books Press. The picture book aims to reach children at the age of six and above.

An artisan is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative. In ancient times of China, artisans were called “baigong”, literally meaning “a hundred trades”. Artisans practice a craft and may, through experience and aptitude, reach not only the expressive levels of an artist but also the peak of mind-disciplining. In today’s machine-run world, it still takes the combined force of human hands and the magic of time to make the world’s finest things, which fully explains the unfailing charm of some of the traditional Chinese crafts that are still appreciated and cherished by people today and generations to come. This is also what the newly released four-volume picture book, Stories of Artisans: Chinese Craftsmanship, strives to convey to readers. The book is an ode to craftsmanship conveying the idea that behind every piece of art are skillful and loving hands that bring it to life.

Featured in the four volumes of the well-illustrated book, titled respectively Porcelain, Paper, Tea, Fans, are some of the finest crafts representing the cultural riches of Zhejiang Province: the Longquan celadon, bamboo paper-making craftsmanship from Fuyang, Longjing Green Tea, Jiangnan-style fan-making, etc. Encapsulated in the elegant design of every page is the solemnity of “arts crafted by time”. Every page tells a story of “concentration” and “dedication” of a perfectionist, guiding the reader to time-travel into a different time and space in which quality and honesty is king.

The book highlights how in old days craftsmen followed work ethics and tried to achieve perfection. Take a saggar-maker (a person who made saggars, ceramic boxlike containers used in the firing of pottery to enclose or protect ware being fired inside a kiln) for example. A saggar could never be a piece of art, but a saggar-maker spent his lifetime making perfect saggars, following the work ethics of the trade strictly and remaining anonymous on the backstage.

The book sings of craftspeople of the past who practiced their work ethics. Take a fan maker for example. Crafted purely by human hands, a paper-fan may have one or two tiny defects. A fan maker would not hesitate to inform the customer of the small imperfection. Having the courage to admit that the fan was not flawless when delivering it to the client, in the eye of the artisan, was as important as making a perfect paper fan.

In traditional Chinese culture, “craftsmanship” is also closely related to sentimental relations - between father and son, between brothers and sisters, between neighbors, between friends, and between masters and apprentices. Such an emotional bond, burned into the subconscious of the Chinese people, can be savored in the refreshing text and layout of the book. For example, such a pristine, soul-healing mood that penetrates the daily routines of a traditional Chinese family is portrayed beautifully in one of the Porcelain pages and in the photo essay about how the milk of human kindness and unity produces the world’s finest green tea. One of the stories in the Paper volume depicts the beauty of filial piety in a paper-making family.

The graphic presentation of the book, in the traditional ink-and-wash style throughout, perfectly matches the “craftsmanship” motif.

The illustrator of the first three volumes of the book is Sheng Yuanfu, a Ningbo-born traditional Chinese painter and illustrator. The artist’s high attainment is fully shown in his seemingly effortless creation that fills the heart of the reader with aesthetic joy. “I just wanted to do something meaningful for children,” the artist explains.

The Fans volume is illustrated by Wu Zhenzhi, a woman artist born in 1976 with Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting. The book is also the artist’s debut in children’s picture books. “It was love at first sight, and I did not hesitate to take the project,” Wu recalls. Her vivid, bold freestyle brings life to every page, with a color scheme flowing with light and ever-changing hues that delight all senses.

The enormous effort, sincerity and a strong desire for children’s innocence put into the book by both artists is easy to tell for readers.

Great attention also went into many other small details in the design of the book, as can be seen in the cover and belt design. The specialty paper used for the cover brings out the ethereal beauty of the ink-and-wash texture; and unfolding the belt, which comes in the shape of a traditional ink-and-wash painting scroll, feels like enjoying a well-written preface. It is no exaggeration to say that the craftsmanship that is woven into the making of the book is already a touching way to pay tribute to the “artisanal spirit” the book is created to eulogize.