由中國政府和世界文化遺產基金會共同投資近20億元人民幣、將歷時18年的北京故宮大修工程正式啟動，2004年12月1日，中國竹工藝美術大師、浙江省東陽市東風竹編廠董事長何福禮，面對國內專家和世界文化遺產基金會官員以及眾多媒體，以滿分成績通過“考試”，取得了修繕故宮倦勤齋竹編部分的“入場券”。

揭黃榜晉京獻藝

北京故宮大修開始后，堪稱故宮內建筑最豪華和工藝最精細的乾隆御書房倦勤齋，在竹簧工藝上如何使其恢復歷史原貌遇到了難題。

倦勤齋建于清乾隆三十七年(1772年)，是乾隆皇帝讓位后的住所，這里所有的墻面都用竹絲鑲嵌，一派江南風韻。此前御書房雖早有毀損，但因技術難度太高而從未進行修繕。故宮方面曾翻閱乾隆時期的內務府歷史檔案資料，查找原材料的產地和工匠的名字，走訪了四川、湖南、江蘇等多個省份，但一直沒能找到理想修理人選。無奈之下，故宮便在全國數(shù)十家主流媒體上發(fā)布招賢榜，希望能找到身懷絕技的藝人。有近50年竹編生涯的浙江東陽中國竹編工藝大師何福禮看到招賢榜，決心前往應試。

經有關專家多次考察，并當面出了如竹簧劈片、整平、軟化、粘貼等眾多的“考題”，何福禮“過關斬將”，一一作答，終于以滿分成績取得了修繕倦勤齋竹編部分的“入場券”。

2005年6月17日，東陽市政府為何福禮一行舉行了隆重的歡送會，62歲的中國竹工藝大師何福禮帶著他的小兒子何紅兵和兩個東風竹編廠的技術骨干，肩負著“百工之鄉(xiāng)”的重托，前往北京履行一項修繕故宮的光榮使命。

曾到東陽給何福禮出考題的“考官”、故宮博物院文?？萍疾恐魅尾莒o樓等人開了兩輛車子前來迎接，老朋友相見自然非常高興，曹靜樓風趣地說：“何大師來了，修復倦勤齋的技術問題我可不用擔心了?！钡诙欤莒o樓主任召集他們開了個短會，給他們講了故宮內的一些規(guī)章制度，接著，何福禮一行去有關部門辦理了出入證，從此他們一班人馬便進入了修繕故宮的行列。

6月21日下午1時，北京天氣異常炎熱。何福禮一行進入故宮，開始了第一天的修繕。

在故宮方面的安排下，他們領了6個“格扇”和5個“角牙”，此后幾天主要對這些東西先行修繕。移交的手續(xù)很嚴格，先要對原物進行拍照，每領一件物件都要辦理手續(xù)。對于格扇、角牙上不小心掉落的竹絲屑，還要當場撿拾放入小塑料袋內，并分別加以標號。

何福禮等人領了物件，小心翼翼地拭去塵土，這些工藝精湛的寶貝便顯出了“廬山真面目”。這些門窗都飾有一片片龜背花，黑、紅、本三種顏色相間，立體感很強，雖經數(shù)百年風雨，它們還依然保持原色，其工藝之精細讓人嘆為觀止；還有那些角牙，以紫檀木為底，用竹絲鑲嵌，工藝同樣精湛，可惜這些格扇、角牙中有的因年深月久蟲蛀風化，竹絲掉落，有缺損。

何福禮說故宮中的東西每樣都是寶貝，要把缺損的竹絲補上，首先得要確保竹絲的粗細、厚薄、長度完全一模一樣，以達到修舊如舊，“天衣無縫”，這實在是一件有相當難度的活，而且他們還得在故宮的攝像鏡頭、聲音監(jiān)控等設施的監(jiān)督下進行，同時又得在央視攝影機的跟蹤下完成。不過他們4人都是從事工藝美術行業(yè)多年的能手，實踐經驗相當豐富，他們對完成修繕是很有信心的。

下午4時半何福禮等人離開故宮。何福禮的兒子何紅兵說，故宮內管理很嚴，禁止吸煙，這可給他爸爸出了難題。平時他爸爸在東陽一天能抽兩包煙，但從進故宮直至離開，他一根煙也沒敢抽；何福禮說，這次好比進京趕考，只能考好不能考砸，一定要交出一份令人滿意的答卷。

御用品修得天衣無縫

何福禮著手修繕的倦勤齋，分上、下兩層書房，裝修非常豪華，墻壁內里是紫檀木，外面貼以“翻簧”鑲嵌，總共100多平方米的空間里幾乎全部是竹編工藝，包括床和書架也有竹絲鑲嵌和雕刻，各種圖案組合得十分協(xié)調，顯得非常典雅、華貴。為使這次修復后的倦勤齋竹編能有更長的保存時間，何福禮精心選材，他嚴格挑選生長在朝南地方黃土地上的毛竹作為材料?！斑@樣的材料柔軟性好，500余年內不會蟲蛀和發(fā)霉?！焙胃６Y滿有信心地說。

修繕倦勤齋是一種精細活，需要心如止水的心境。何福禮風趣地說，在這里從事竹編工藝，環(huán)境相當安靜，沒有外界干擾，給人一種寧靜致遠的感覺和獨特的工藝享受。短短幾天，他們就完全進入了“最佳競技狀態(tài)”，每天都“兩耳不聞窗外事，一心只修倦勤齋”。

何福禮一行每天下班回到住處，吃了晚飯四個人就圍坐在一起，圍繞修復工作進行交流和討論，大家針對白天發(fā)現(xiàn)的修復難題，集思廣益提出解決辦法和對策，這成了他們每天的一個固定節(jié)目。除修繕之外，何福禮還接受了故宮方面委派的一個重要任務：記日記。他對申領來的每一個部件，修前、修中、修后都要拍照留存資料。故宮方面有關負責人說，對修復工藝的總結和修復工作本身同樣重要，因為故宮中還有很多未修復也未開放的地方，這些工藝留下來，對以后會有很大的參考作用。

6月下旬的北京酷暑難耐，何福禮他們的工作場所既沒有電風扇，更沒有空調。在如此悶熱的環(huán)境下，他們不得不經常喝水，但喝了水就容易出汗，因此，一天到晚他們都揮汗如雨，渾身濕透。有天下午4時，正在加工竹絲的何福禮突然中暑了，但他還是堅持把活干完。后來故宮方面派人給他們安裝了空調，這給何福禮一行的修繕創(chuàng)造了更好的工作環(huán)境。

半個多月后，何福禮等人對修復“角牙”和“格扇”這些構件已得心應手，第一次申領的構件亦已修復完成，于是他們又去申領了一批構件。這次申領的除了“格扇”，還有幾塊較大的乾隆皇帝御床的床沿板。這些床沿板圖案損壞嚴重，色彩又多種多樣，修復難度更大，有的甚至一碰就會全部散架，甚至連灰塵都無法撣去，它們在工藝上也比格扇更為精細。何福禮冥思苦想，使出了全身解數(shù)。

故宮的修復工作全是細活，因竹絲細如發(fā)絲，眼睛必須十分專注和投入。多日來何福禮整天戴著老花眼鏡，把四十多年來積累的精湛技術全用了上去，但由于用眼過度，何福禮原先配戴的老花眼鏡不頂用了，他不得不再買一副新眼鏡。

為修復乾隆皇帝御床的那幾塊床板，費了何福禮不少心思。它破損程度嚴重，竹編部分脫落面廣，要把脫落的竹編天衣無縫地粘貼回去，而且要絲毫無損原先圖案的形狀，難度確實很大。據(jù)何福禮說，如果仍采用原先建造時的工藝去做，就需要把三種不同顏色的竹絲一根一根粘回去，同時拼成圖案，但這樣做肯定會破壞原先的平整度，影響“修舊如舊”的效果。為此，他創(chuàng)造出一種新的方法，用自己特制的粘性極佳的魚膠，先把竹絲粘貼到一塊，再像布一樣貼上去，這樣既平整又牢固，看上去和原先的一模一樣。

2005年8月中旬的一天，故宮博物院副院長晉宏逵率幾位專家來到何福禮的工作場所，聽了何福禮的介紹并認真察看了修復好的部分構件，晉宏逵贊不絕口，連稱“大開眼界”，“無論是色彩上還是工藝上看起來都與原來的面貌一模一樣。”何福禮讓他提提意見，晉宏逵一笑：“沒有意見，符合要求，修得很好!”他還告訴何福禮，等明年修復工作全部結束后，故宮方面決定給何福禮等人頒發(fā)榮譽證書，說這在以前是從來沒有過的。

9月5日，何福禮率領的修復小組迎來了到北京修復以來最正式、規(guī)格最高的“考評”。這天世界文化遺產基金會的專家到達北京，對何福禮修復小組第一階段的修復工作進行全面的檢查。在聽取了何福禮及故宮科技文保部主任曹靜樓對前一階段修復工作情況的介紹后，專家們到現(xiàn)場查看了已經修復的20多件形象逼真的構件，并不時拿出相機拍攝。他們對這些成功修復的構件無論從工藝、色彩和平整程度上都十分滿意，連連夸獎：“Very Beautiful(非常美麗)!”世界文化遺產基金會副總裁吳·亨利則稱贊何福禮是“天才的藝術家，干得非常漂亮”。

倦勤齋竹編部分第一階段的修繕工作經過三個月的努力全部完成了?？紤]到10月以后北京的天氣將很快變冷，對于用細如發(fā)絲的竹絲進行修復工作難以得心應手，而且會影響修復質量，故何福禮一行暫回老家東陽。今年6月，何福禮等人將再次進京直接進入倦勤齋進行修復工作。

憶往話昔竹藝人生

1944年何福禮出生在義烏東河鄉(xiāng)一個貧苦農民家庭，他7歲時父親去世，小學畢業(yè)后便輟學在家，與母親和哥哥、妹妹相依為命。這時來自東陽樓店的知名篾匠馬富世看到何福禮一家生活艱苦，就時時照顧他們。

1958年何福禮跟隨馬富世到東陽開始學竹編手藝，由于他的刻苦努力，逐漸成了當?shù)匦∮忻麣獾捏场．斈?1月，何福禮到東陽木雕廠專業(yè)從事竹編工藝，其間不斷吸取傳統(tǒng)和各種流派的竹編技藝，形成了一套獨特的竹編技藝。上世紀60年代初，當時的國家主席劉少奇出訪印尼，輕工部決定采用東陽竹編花籃盛裝青島啤酒和煙臺葡萄酒，作為國家饋贈禮品，還是“半作”的何福禮就承擔起了日夜趕制花籃角口的重任。

1983年，何福禮主持大型竹編精品《九龍壁》的編織工作，并獨創(chuàng)“鱗形編織撮花”等多種編織技法，《九龍壁》于1984年4月榮獲中國工藝美術百花獎金杯獎，并被列為國家工藝美術珍品，專家們稱它為“集竹編藝術之大成的經典之作”。1998年，他創(chuàng)作的《香爐鼎》被稱為“中華民族當代竹編藝術的經典之作”，引起全國工藝美術界的轟動，榮獲中國國家級工藝美術大師精品展金獎。此后創(chuàng)作的《詠鵝圖》《大象》《哪咤鬧?！贰栋讼芍窠z花籃》《彌勒佛》《海螺》《?！贰蛾P愛》《千禧龍》《漁翁》等精品，先后獲得10多個國家級大獎，并為多家博物館及知名人士珍藏。

2003年12月，國際竹藤組織和中國竹產業(yè)協(xié)會授予何福禮“中國竹工藝大師”稱號。

現(xiàn)任東陽市工藝美術行業(yè)協(xié)會副會長的何福禮，從藝以來已累計收徒數(shù)十人，他把自己的技藝毫無保留地傳授給他們，為東陽竹編事業(yè)的發(fā)展作出了應有的貢獻。何福禮還多次赴澳大利亞、法國、意大利、德國、瑞士等國家作技藝表演和技術交流，推動了中外文化交流事業(yè)的發(fā)展。

何福禮晉京獻藝無疑是東陽竹編史上一個重要的里程碑，而且將是振興東陽竹編和木雕工藝產業(yè)的一個巨大契機。作為享有工藝美術之鄉(xiāng)盛譽的東陽，這將為東陽的竹編和木雕走向全國，走向世界，為子孫后代留下一張永不褪色的歷史名片，為世界工藝美術長廊樹立一塊厚重的豐碑。

(本文攝影馮丁)

Master Repairs the Imperial Study

By Fang Lu， Wu XuhuaAfter an overhaul project， financed by both the Chinese government and the World Cultural Heritage Fund， was launched to repair the Forbidden City in Beijing， the organizers ran into a thorny problem. The imperial study， one of the most luxuriously decorated structures in the palace was beyond repair after centuries?wear and tear. They badly needed a bamboo-weaving master. The project team looked into the palace archives for original information on the materials， techniques， and masters involved in the making of the study， in the hope of finding someone living today who might inherit the original techniques. Guided by the archive information， experts visited Sichuan， Hunan and Jiangsu provinces but failed to find a master who would meet the strict requirements.

Not to be deterred by the failure， the organizers decided to throw a wider net. They sent out a piece of's anted?information through the mainstream media across the country to find a bamboo-weaving master.

He Fuli， a master with more than 50 years experience in the art of bamboo-weaving and president of his bamboo weaving business in Dongyang， Zhejiang Province， rose to the challenge. After a series of interviews and examinations in which he answered questions and showed his technical solutions， he was totally qualified and engaged on December 1， 2004 in front of domestic experts， officials from the World Cultural Heritage Fund and the media.

On June 17， 2005， the 62-year-old He Fuli， his son， and two top technicians from his business， left for Beijing after a red-carpet send-off party held by the Dongyang Municipal People's Government.

The imperial study in the palace the master and his people were to repair was a two-storied luxury with rosewood walls. Almost all the furniture had something to do with bamboo. The bed and bookshelves had bamboo filaments and sculpted images. Different patterns looked seamlessly harmonious， signifying elegance and opulence. What He and his helpers would do was to repair the bamboo items in the study and make them last another few hundreds of years at least.

The work started on June 21， 2005， for repair work has to be carried in summer when temperature sizzles and hair-like bamboo filaments respond perfectly to all kinds of technical requirements.

The raw material came from the bamboos that grew on the southern slopes on loessal soil， because， He noted， such a material would display excellent flexibility and would be mildew-resistant and moth-free for five centuries.

Perfect repair would require the master to concentrate， which means that the mind needed to be free of all interferences. Fortunately， this could be achieved with ease at the palace where they work in perfect quietude.

Their routine was simple: they would work at the palace during daytime; in the evening， the master and his three helpers would sit down and discuss the work they did in daytime. This was how the team tried to figure out solutions to thorny problems. And He also had another important commitment: keep a detailed record of the work he did. All the pieces to be repaired must be photographed， and the repair must be photographed at the beginning， in the middle， and afterwards. The palace authorities explained that the records were extremely important for the future use because there were many more places and things in the palace to be repaired in the long years to come.

The team worked under cameras and recorders. At first， the summer heat was also a huge problem. The master suffered a heatstroke one afternoon before an air-conditioner was installed. The job took so much eye work that， after a period of time， He Fuli had to give up his old presbyopic glasses and got a new pair to see more clearly. The work went on smoothly though they ran into technical challenges day in and day out. In order to solve problems they had never seen before， they combined their wits and came up with some new techniques.

One day， the deputy director of the palace museum came with a few experts to see their work. They were happy with what they saw on the spot and the deputy director announced that the palace museum would issue a certificate of appreciation and honor to the master and his helpers in 2006 when the repair will be completed.

On the fifth of September 2005， the first phase of the repair was completed as the weather began to cool off.Experts from the World Cultural Heritage Fund came to Beijing to inspect the repair by He's team. They were hugely satisfied with the craft， color， and smoothness of the repaired pieces and spared no words to praise the talented artists.

The team came back to Dongyang and will go to the palace this June.

He Fuli was born in 1944 into a poor farmer's family in Yiwu County. In 1958 he became an apprentice to Ma Fushi， a master of bamboo-weaving. Gradually He became well established as an experienced weaver himself. In early 1960s， He made bamboo baskets which were later used as state gifts to foreign state leaders.

In the 1980s and 1990s， He was the master behind many top national- prize-winning bamboo-weaving masterpieces. So far he has had trained dozens of master weavers. He has also visited a number of foreign countries to show his techniques in cultural exchange programs.

The local government says that He and his team's work in the palace is absolutely a milestone in the history of bamboo weaving in the city. It may also serve as an opportunity to further promote the local bamboo-weaving art to the whole country.

(Translated by David)