中国有非遗：平凡稻草织成巨龙

Yu Fangze, an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of weaving straw dragons, is preserving the ancient tradition in Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province.

在江西省九江市湖口县，国家级非物质文化遗产项目 “湖口草龙编织（草编）” 的代表性传承人喻芳泽仍在守护这一传统技艺。

His latest creation measures 27.8 meters long and required over 90,000 pieces of straw.

他的最新作品长达 27.8 米，用了九万多根稻草。

The craft dates back to the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). Traditionally, local farmers made straw dragons to celebrate harvests and pray for good weather.

湖口草龙编织技艺源于隋唐时期，在当时是当地农民庆祝丰收、祈祷风调雨顺的民间传统活动。

Yu has been weaving straw dragons for 72 years. His passion began in childhood when he learned techniques from skilled craftsmen, eventually becoming a renowned artisan himself.

喻芳泽从事草龙编织已有72年。自幼他便对草编感兴趣，后来拜师学习精编草龙的技艺，最终成为了颇有名气的技艺大师。

Creating a perfectly crafted straw dragon involves at least 12 intricate steps, including carefully selecting glutinous rice straw, bamboo and wood, Yu said.

喻芳泽介绍，一条精编草龙的制作至少包含 12 道工序，其中就包括对稻草、毛竹和木料等材料的精挑细选。

The most challenging part is making the dragon's skeleton, which has strict angle and size requirements.

最难的部分是制作龙的骨架，对于角度和尺寸都有严格的要求。

Yu has improved the dragon scale-making process by using wheat stalks instead of rice straw for a shinier appearance. A single 28-meter straw dragon requires 1,400 scales, each meticulously crafted from nine uniform wheat stalks.

喻芳泽把制作原材料由稻草换成麦秆，以此改进龙鳞制作技艺，进而增加草龙龙鳞的光泽度。一条长达 28 米的草龙，需要用到 1400 片龙鳞，且每片龙鳞皆由 9 根粗细均匀的麦秆精心编织而成。

Yu's straw dragons have been displayed in local museums and featured in major celebrations in Jiangxi Province. His daughter and granddaughter are now recognized as inheritors of the craft, and more than 30 of his apprentices have mastered basic skills for weaving straw dragons.

喻芳泽创作的草龙不仅被当地博物馆所收藏，而且还时常在江西当地的重大节日及大型庆祝活动中亮相。如今，他的女儿和孙女皆是草龙编织技艺的传承人，并且有三十多个徒弟都已掌握了基本的编织技法。