Fishing net weaving pride of 90-year-old man

By Li Jingrong: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 12, 2016

Zhang Zhenfu, a 90-year-old man from east China's coastal Shandong Province, has a unique skill of fishing net weaving. The special type of "wave nets" he has developed are well-known to local people.

Living in Xiaozhang Village in Woyang County, Zhang started to learn weaving in the late 1950s. He became a professional net weaver in his 70s.

Under Zhang's capable hands, the nets are durable, of excellent workmanship and pleasing to the eyes, thus enjoying a good reputation among locals.

Zhang draws on limited resources, but makes full use of them. The main materials are the old bits of wool and steel bars that he collects by himself here and there; through careful study, he has also developed a range of weaving tools such as shuttles.

A whole net usually takes Zhang four or five days to complete; each year he can weave more than 50 nets. "I avoid boredom by weaving nets every day. The manual work helps me to stay flexible and not to suffer from senile dementia," he said jokingly.

Even in his 90s, Zhang is still healthy and able to see and hear clearly. With his fishing nets becoming more and more popular among locals, Zhang is imparting to his villagers the knowledge of this unique skill so that it can be passed on from generation to generation.

Zhang Zhenfu, 90, displays his unique skill of fishing net weavingat the Xiaozhang Village in Woyang County, Shandong Province, on September 3, 2016. [Photo by Gao Yanan/China.com.cn]