A family's sword of honor

Shen Xinpei might have been a writer or an official by now if he had submitted to his parents' wishes and finished school. But Shen chose to follow in the footsteps of his family of sword makers. "I can sense the liquid iron for sword molding flowing in my blood," says the 59-year-old master of the reputed Longquan Sword craft.

The Longquan Sword is a quality signature of ancient Chinese weaponry named after its birthplace Longquan of East China's Zhejiang Province.

The place yielded abundant ores and thick wood, which provided ample coal for the production.

The technique can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). It is said that Ou Yezi, a sword-making master of the State of Yue, crafted three precious swords, called longyuan, tai'e and gongbu, at the foot of Qinxi Mountain in Longquan. The technique has since then been passed down over the past 2,500 years by generations of dexterous sword crafters.

The Longquan Sword shines bright among China's vast array of swords. It features perfect sharpness, cold glitter, optimal integration of the metal's hardness and softness, and exquisite carving on its blade, scabbard and rosewood handle.

The Shen family is a legend in the vibrant history of the Longquan Sword. Shen's great grandfather was a blacksmith. He mainly cast iron farm tools and his workshop had a considerable reputation. His son, Shen Tingzhang, opened the Shenguanglong Sword Workshop in 1892. He stunned the trade in 1911 because his sword pierced three copper coins in a local competition, and chopped his competitor's sword in half.

Since then, the Shen workshop has always been a guarantee of high quality Longquan Sword.

Shen Xinpei grew up observing his father striking on and sharpening the sword. "Other kids got bored after watching for a while and played outside. While I would stay for a whole day."

Shen's parents wanted him to receive a good education, although he took no interest in studying at all. He often ran away from school and returned home to watch sword making.

He was discovered by his father and immediately sent back to school. He did it again the next day but he went to his uncle's workshop so that his parents wouldn't find out.

Shen's father finally gave up. He started to impart to Shen Xinpei sword craft whole heartedly.

Yet decades later, Shen Xinpei regrets he quit primary school. "To be a sword-casting master, you should also have profound knowledge and broad vision. The longer I am in this business, the more I feel unconfident in myself," he says.

Shen left the State-own sword factory in 1983. Since then he has been striving to revive the brand of the Shenguanglong Sword Workshop.

One of his important innovations is to employ more cultural elements. For instance, he inscribes seal characters on the sword. His creation, the longevity sword, features 100 carved characters of shou (longevity in Chinese) of different calligraphic styles.

After he retired, his son, Shen Zhou, is now in charge of the family business. Shen Xinpei has shifted his focus to cultivating young inheritors.

(China Daily 09/11/2007 page19)