The eldest daughter of a farmer from Shanxi specializes in working with children. She earns 200,000 yuan a year without leaving home. What does she do?

In Zhongcun Village, Jishan County, Shanxi Province, there is a farmer named Liu Chaoju, known as "Houji Qiao Niang". She specializes in clothing processing for children over the full moon at home, without leaving home. Earning more than 200,000 yuan a year, he led his wife and daughter to inherit the "Jishan Full Moon Living Intangible Cultural Heritage" and found a way to be well-off and prosperous.

Buhuhu

Men farmed and women weaved was a natural division of labor in the society of the ancient farming era. Jishan, where Houji taught people to farm, has a long history of outstanding people and a long history. Embroidery to make clothing is a basic skill, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Liu Chaoju, a native of China, was influenced by her grandmother when she was young. She often followed the elderly to do small handicrafts. When she grew up, she began to help the adults make clothes for her six sisters. This is how her interest in clothing making was formed. Perhaps it was a chance. As a result, after getting married, she met her in-law's skillful grandmother, who took her skills to a new level.

Sister Liu is doing embroidery

Sister Liu said that her husband’s grandmother is a famous skillful hand in eight villages in ten miles and eight villages. She knows all the women’s handmade clothing work, and she has been learning from the old man for a while. She also upgraded her technology. In the second half of 1991, she opened a tailoring department at her home and officially processed and made various clothes for external jobs. Of course, her main business was focused on the more difficult children's full-month jobs. The full-moon attire in rural areas of Jishan is very particular. In ancient times, it was called "baby baptism ceremony." Newborns were required to wear long-life locks, Baijia clothes, and various amulets when they were full moon, including bellybands, vests, and tiger-head shoes. , the animal head hat has become a must-have clothing in the full moon ceremony, as a necessity for adults to give to children.

Children's clothing

When children are full moon, boys mainly give them to symbolize vitality. The exuberant tiger hat, lion hat, five poison bellybands, and tiger shoes symbolize "the toad palace wins the crown, the five sons succeed in the imperial examinations," the tiger and the tiger bring forth the wind. The girl was given clothes with the content of "bergamot, lotus, many children, many blessings," and peony butterflies. Children wearing new clothes during the full moon can ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters, and can live a long life. Full moon clothes carry "traditional cultural concepts." However, it is very troublesome to make comprehensive products. With the development of rural economy, many families choose to buy directly for convenience. The full moon products made by Sister Liu are exquisitely crafted, beautiful and practical, so they have become the first choice.

Sister Liu at work

At first, Sister Liu was making full-moon costumes alone at home. As time went by, her reputation grew and her products were sold far away. In the surrounding counties and cities, there was naturally more work to do, so she started doing it with her daughter-in-law and two daughters. Later, the demand exceeded the supply, and she even taught four sisters from the village to join her production team of full-month children. Five more children were added to the family. A sewing machine is used to process more and more garments.

3 pairs of children's shoes

Sister Liu said that it is more troublesome to make a child's one-month-old clothes than ordinary clothes. Although they are not big, they are very delicate. The children are the darlings of the whole family when they are born. Of course, all clothing requires excellence. As for the shoes, tiger-head shoes, lion-head shoes and pig-head shoes, the embroidery of the front face alone takes a long time. It must be naive and realistic, and of course To ensure quality, one person can't make just one pair in less than a day.

Sister Liu told the photographer that her husband’s child has been alive for five generations. She is very famous in the local countryside and is passed down by word of mouth. Her products can also be called works, which are not only practical but also have high quality. The artistic value of the decoration should be based on different decorative objects and given different production contents. It integrates traditional culture, customs, and regional characteristics, and demonstrates the simple, straightforward, enthusiastic human consciousness and natural, free and easy nature of Jiwangshan people everywhere. , the pursuit of transcendent aesthetics, and a more diligent, intelligent, and lively attitude towards life.

Wedding Supplies

Skilled sister Liu Chaoju sticks to her own tailoring department, leading everyone to make full-moon costumes for children every day. She has been doing this for 30 years, and is managed by a young daughter-in-law. She has become a mother-in-law and the inheritor of the family's full moon work. Step by step, she has turned her small tailoring department into a big business. At present, she not only undertakes the production of children's full-month living kits, but also undertakes the production of wedding quilts. In her words, from the time of marriage until the child is 3 years old, her family provides serialized services for all clothing and bedding.

Exquisite hats

Children’s full-month package in local rural areas of Jishan usually includes shoes, hats, clothes and pillows, 4 or 5 sets from head to toe, which can be determined according to personal preferences. There are even traditional toys such as cloth tigers for children to play with.

Sister Liu’s Studio

Sister Liu pays special attention to practicality in the production of children’s full-moon clothing. She integrates cloth patching and embroidery into one craft. The clothing products draw on the strengths of others and the colors The combination is pleasing to the eye, exquisite and beautiful, with typical Shanxi characteristics and strong Han nationality style.

Plaque on the door

Children’s full moon festival is not only a part of Shanxi’s full moon custom, but also a continuation of traditional farming life. Qiao Niang Sister Liu’s persistence has Let this traditional folk custom be passed down. In the end, she said that she is not just doing it to make a lot of money. For her, it is more of a responsibility. She wants to pass on this old craft to more young people and let the full moon folk culture continue. be carried forward. The three characters "Pengchengzhi" on the doorstep of her house are her pursuit and portrayal of life. Everyone, do you also have this custom of full moon living in your place? Welcome to leave a message. If you want to see more people's stories, please click to follow this headline