Production Procedure＞ Assembling the Shenjiang Statue

Assembling the Shenjiang Statue

1.Assembly Procedure

Step 1: Strengthen the Bamboo Frame

Instruction: Generally, moso bamboo is the best choice. The experienced masters make the Shenjiang frames according to the size of the Shenjiang. Why moso bamboo? Moso bamboo becomes stronger in the winter so that insects cannot corrode them. When the basic frame is made, the master resins it and wraps it with red cloth to prevent it from oxidizing, which would accelerate decay and aging problems.

Step 2: Strengthen the Shoulder

Instruction: Strengthen the shoulder pad to boost the shoulder of the Shenjiang. Even a large Shenjiang would look listless with drooping shoulder. Therefore, a large sponge is used and cut with a hole, about the size of a head, and put on the top of the bamboo frame around the neck place; it makes the Shenjiang look dashing and mighty.

Step 3: Fasten the Head
Instruction: The head of the Shenjiang tells the position of a Shenjiang. Therefore, the buyer would rather hire an experienced master. Since different people produce heads and frames, it often happens that both don’t match. If that’s the case, the master who does the assembly has to work on the connection so that both parts can be put together.

Step 4: Assemble the arms and hands
Instruction: Cypress wood or willow wood used to be the material for arms, but both are heavy and easily cracked. The arms used to be changed often. Master Lin said that hollow steel are used to replace the wood arms nowadays since it is light and durable. At first, the master fastens the steel with red tapes, cover it with sponge, and connect it to the inner frame. When the arms are finished, the wood hands are connected to the arms to finish the assembly.

Step 5: Wear the Shenjiang Statue
Instruction: Decorate the appearance to make Shenjiang look gorgeous. First, put on a white undergarment over the wood frame to separate from the armor and avoid friction for showing respect to Shenjiang. After the undergarment, put on armor, sleeves, and finally lap armor. Sometimes, the master leaves the lap part until after the assembly is done and the statue is lifted to stand up.

Step 6: Plug in the Flags

Instruction: Plug four flags into the back of the Shenjiang. It’s a custom from a long time ago that commanders used the flags to protect their heads and backs from arrows when fighting in battles. It’s not an easy job to fasten the flags though, for they might become loose and drop when the Shenjiang statue walks. Before plugging the flags into the back of the Shenjiang, the rattan flagpoles need to be grilled and bent. The left and right flagpoles are more curved than those in the middle.

Step 7: Wear the Helmet

Instruction: Tie the front piece of the helmet and back piece of the helmet together; fasten the helmet onto the back of the head with wire, or on the two sides of the head and extend to the back of the head and fasten it. Make sure it’s fastened firmly in case it drops, which might hit the face and shed off the face paint of the statue. After wearing the helmet, decorate with pompons, lion's head, pagodas and other accessories to make the helmet look neat and prettier, and the Shenjiang mightier.

Step 8: Decorate with Accessories

Instruction: After the prior seven steps, it’s almost done. The final step is to decorate with tassels, colored balls, and other accessories to make the Shenjiang look mighty and shiny. The most important accessory is the large colored ball for the front; the assembly master has to make it by himself since no business sells it. The second important one is the tail feather of a pheasant for the helmet. Although only foreign commanders used them before, they are often used to decorate on Shenjiang helmets nowadays since it looks elegant with the soft and curved feathers.

2.Perspectives
Yuang-ting Tseng: I was very curious about the inner structure of Shenjiang statues. Today, I finally know about the inner part of Shenjiang statues, which is a bamboo frame. Surprisingly, it takes so many steps to complete a Shenjiang body. I’ve felt tired when watching the whole procedure. It looks impossible to produce a Shenjiang statue without a strong will. We should pass on the information to let everyone know the Shenjiang that represents Luzhou culture.
Po-hung Wang: I didn’t know the assembly could be so complicated. There are eight steps of procedure; a Shenjiang cannot be completed if there is any mistake. If I were the trainee of the Shenjiang master, I would have said, “I give up!” Without these masters, Luzhou would have had only Shenjiang heads; it would neither become the town of the most Shenjiang statues in Taiwan, nor have the fame of “Shenjiang Cave”!
Pin-yu Wu: A complete Shenjiang statue requires the cooperation of many masters with different skills. It involves the sculptor, the embroidery expert, the frame maker, and the assembler. These experts work hard to present the best in parade.
Ming-hsien Hsu: It takes so many steps to assemble a set of Shenjiang. It must require lots of work and time. The assembler needs to communicate well with each master of every component; without a consensus, it’s impossible to make a perfect Shenjiang statue. Making a Shenjiang statue requires so much work and skills, but people no longer want to work on this time consuming job. Therefore, we should promote the significance and spirit of Shenjiang, so that the art, soon to be lost, can be valued again.
Kuan-ting Ho: The procedure to produce a Shengjiang statue is so complicated. The young people might not be interested in it. However, I think the traditional art is significant, so we should strive to preserve and pass it on. We should be thankful for having these masters in Luzhou! Without them, Luzhou would not have the fame of “Shenjiang Cave”.

 

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