文/包建永

只要一臺(tái)砂輪機(jī)，吳子熊就能隨心所欲地在玻璃杯上刻畫(huà)和“寫(xiě)字”。With a grinding wheel, Wu Zixiong is able to carve and “write” on glass jars at will.

他的玻雕技藝，已爐火純青。

飛輪轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)，隨手拿起一個(gè)玻璃杯，以輪為筆，一件玻雕藝術(shù)品，瞬間可就?；B(niǎo)蟲(chóng)魚(yú)，栩栩如生；砂輪題字，筆走龍蛇。

看他表演玻雕技藝，是一種享受。

許多慕名而來(lái)的游客，就是為了一睹玻雕大師現(xiàn)場(chǎng)獻(xiàn)技的風(fēng)采。 “真快！”“真好！”這樣的贊美，幾乎每次展示都能聽(tīng)到。

贊美的背后，是中國(guó)工藝美術(shù)大師、浙江省非物質(zhì)文化傳承人吳子熊對(duì)玻雕藝術(shù)的不懈追求，以及對(duì)實(shí)現(xiàn)人生價(jià)值的無(wú)限渴望。

吳子熊與玻雕藝術(shù)打交道六十多年，雖然名滿(mǎn)天下，但他從未改變工匠本色，一直自稱(chēng)“老工匠”。

在臺(tái)州市民廣場(chǎng)西側(cè)，有幢二層樓的灰色建筑，這就是吳子熊玻璃藝術(shù)館，每天游客駱驛不絕。藝術(shù)館免費(fèi)對(duì)外開(kāi)放，每當(dāng)有組團(tuán)而來(lái)的游客，他常常親自當(dāng)導(dǎo)游，啟動(dòng)砂輪，為游客展示玻雕藝術(shù)的魅力。

其實(shí)在游客驚奇于吳子熊的玻璃藝術(shù)品時(shí)，人們更驚嘆于他的傳奇人生經(jīng)歷。他從一名小乞丐、搓澡工、車(chē)間工人，成長(zhǎng)為享譽(yù)世界的工藝美術(shù)大師。他的玻雕作品，深受世界各國(guó)人民喜愛(ài)，先后收到三萬(wàn)余件外國(guó)友人的題詞和簽名。

找到一生的事業(yè)

1942年秋，吳子熊出生于臺(tái)州仙居縣田市吳橋村。他的祖父是清末秀才，曾行過(guò)醫(yī)，教過(guò)書(shū)。父親自幼跟隨祖父讀書(shū)習(xí)醫(yī)。在他出生當(dāng)晚，父親夢(mèng)見(jiàn)一只大黑熊竄進(jìn)屋里，驚出一身冷汗；醒后不久，兒子出生。父親給他取名“子熊”。

吳子熊在家排行老六，上有兩個(gè)哥哥和3個(gè)姐姐。在他出生的時(shí)候，正值抗戰(zhàn)相持階段，吳家家境已經(jīng)非常貧困。全家借住在村旁的尼姑庵里。

1946年初，母親在貧寒交迫中，痛苦離世。1948年，父親在海門(mén)（今屬椒江）行醫(yī)，他與10歲的姐姐少秋和8歲的哥哥和中相依為命，自力更生。半年后，他們才被接到海門(mén)，與父親團(tuán)聚。

在海門(mén)，吳子熊從三年級(jí)才開(kāi)始插班上學(xué)。

然而，好景不長(zhǎng)，父親因病去世。為了生存，繼母不得不改嫁。

小學(xué)畢業(yè)后，吳子熊深知繼母不容易，他賣(mài)過(guò)大餅、饅頭，做過(guò)乞丐，挨過(guò)打，受凍挨餓是生活常態(tài)。

后來(lái)，他漸漸長(zhǎng)大。有一年夏天的黃昏，他百無(wú)聊賴(lài)地走在海門(mén)街上，內(nèi)心煩躁至極。

不知不覺(jué)走到海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)門(mén)口，一個(gè)穿著短褲的中年男子，站在陰涼處乘涼。

“同志，您這里需要學(xué)徒嗎？”吳子熊大著膽子上去問(wèn)。

“小鬼，你多大了？”是一個(gè)外地口音。

“16歲?！?/p>

“明天過(guò)來(lái)吧?！敝心昴凶用念^說(shuō)：“我們正好缺一個(gè)爐頭送瓶人?！?/p>

真是“踏破鐵鞋無(wú)覓處，得來(lái)全不費(fèi)工夫”。

吳子熊的人生軌跡，就這樣不經(jīng)意間發(fā)生了改變。

他成了國(guó)營(yíng)企業(yè)海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)的工人。他的工作，是把爐臺(tái)上一只只還在溶液中演變成型的各色玻璃器皿，用竹棒插入斷口之中，以最快的速度，送到15米外的退火窯窯口。退火工人再用長(zhǎng)鐵叉接過(guò)器皿，送入烈火熊熊的退火窯內(nèi)。

吳子熊平均每天要送500多個(gè)玻璃器皿，也就是在15米的距離內(nèi)，來(lái)回走500多趟，相當(dāng)于在高溫的車(chē)間里快步走至少15公里的路程。

他珍惜這份工作，早上班，晚下班，埋頭苦干，毫不抱怨。

后來(lái)，廠(chǎng)里決定在眾多的徒工中選拔一個(gè)去研發(fā)新的花色品種，大家一致推薦了吳子熊。于是，他被調(diào)配給一個(gè)師傅當(dāng)助手，做噴花。

1960年，他又被選中，派去旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)參觀(guān)學(xué)習(xí)3個(gè)月。此次去學(xué)習(xí)的，還有全國(guó)各地玻璃廠(chǎng)派去的幾十名技術(shù)人員。

在當(dāng)時(shí)，旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)是中國(guó)玻璃行業(yè)的老大，技術(shù)上獨(dú)領(lǐng)風(fēng)騷。在陳列室里，各種顏色、各種造型的花瓶、花籃、頂燈，絢麗多彩，讓人眼花繚亂。美麗的金魚(yú)，開(kāi)屏的孔雀，嬉水的游蝦，仿佛是晶瑩玉石上的天然之作。

吳子熊?chē)@為觀(guān)止。

和他一起來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)的同行都想學(xué)藝。但是，廠(chǎng)里只許參觀(guān)，不傳技術(shù)，也不許拍照。

“這么難得的機(jī)會(huì)，我一定要學(xué)到本領(lǐng)?！痹趨亲有艿恼?qǐng)求下，他被分配到刻花車(chē)間參觀(guān)。他用心默記車(chē)間師傅精湛的雕刻技巧，每一片花瓣，每一條枝丫，每一個(gè)連接圖案，他都用筆畫(huà)在手掌上；手上畫(huà)滿(mǎn)了，就借口上廁所，在廁所里迅速把圖案分拆，畫(huà)在香煙殼上。晚上回宿舍，再把香煙殼和手掌上的圖案，重新組合起來(lái)，畫(huà)在稿紙上。

師傅們技術(shù)捂得緊，他就用真心換真情。每天早上，他第一個(gè)到車(chē)間，幫助師傅把木桶里的水盛滿(mǎn)，把車(chē)架擦干凈。下班后，又搶著幫助執(zhí)勤的師傅搞衛(wèi)生。得知車(chē)間里有3位女師傅家里困難，他省下口糧，送給她們5斤、10斤的全國(guó)糧票。

日久見(jiàn)人心。師傅們終于松口了，把各自擅長(zhǎng)的雕刻手法和技巧都傳授給了他。不久后，組內(nèi)撥出一架空置的砂輪機(jī)，讓吳子熊等人輪流上崗練習(xí)技藝。有時(shí)候，師傅們有事或請(qǐng)假，也會(huì)讓吳子熊代為磨刻。在此期間，他還跟隨廠(chǎng)里的師傅，參與了北京人民大會(huì)堂的吸頂燈刻制。

晚上和周末的時(shí)間，吳子熊也不浪費(fèi)，他去百貨商店、博物館、展覽館等場(chǎng)所參觀(guān)，凡有玻璃器皿造型和雕刻圖案，他都一一畫(huà)下來(lái)。不到3個(gè)月時(shí)間，他已經(jīng)摹畫(huà)下了近千幅圖案資料。

“玻雕藝術(shù)讓人著迷，我決定為它奮斗終生?！?吳子熊雄心勃勃。

讓觀(guān)者驚為絕技

見(jiàn)過(guò)了大海，便不滿(mǎn)足于在湖泊里遨游。

從旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)回來(lái)后，海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)黨支部研究決定，由吳子熊組建刻畫(huà)車(chē)間，培養(yǎng)人才。

與旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)的刻畫(huà)技術(shù)相比，海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)的噴砂技術(shù)顯得非常落后—經(jīng)過(guò)噴砂的玻璃器皿，只留下砂痕，并沒(méi)有其他圖案。噴砂車(chē)間不但砂灰飛揚(yáng)，環(huán)境惡劣，還有一定危險(xiǎn)性。

吳子熊的首要任務(wù)，就是造一臺(tái)砂輪刻畫(huà)機(jī)。他嘗試著改進(jìn)工藝，試了幾次，都失敗了。

他四處尋訪(fǎng)，找到一位叫邱兆法的老工人。邱師傅在上海中華玻璃廠(chǎng)工作過(guò)，曾親見(jiàn)日本磨花玻璃技師的操作過(guò)程?；睾ｉT(mén)時(shí)，他向廠(chǎng)里的老師傅購(gòu)買(mǎi)了一堆廢棄的小砂輪。

“您的小砂輪能賣(mài)給我們嗎？”

“不用買(mǎi)，我也為海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)的發(fā)展盡一點(diǎn)力吧?！?/p>

在邱師傅的指導(dǎo)下，一臺(tái)簡(jiǎn)易刻花機(jī)很快就做成了。全廠(chǎng)職工翹首以盼，等待試驗(yàn)成功。

玻雕作品。A work of glass carving and sculpture.

吳子熊既激動(dòng)，又忐忑。他坐下，開(kāi)動(dòng)電動(dòng)機(jī)，小砂輪呼呼地轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)起來(lái)。他緊握玻璃杯，在砂輪尖上輕輕一碰，劃出一道白色弧線(xiàn)，正當(dāng)他要雕刻花瓣時(shí)，“啪”的一聲，杯子裂了。他拿起第二只杯子，又是“啪”的一聲……連續(xù)試了5次，裂了5次。

工人們興奮而來(lái)，一個(gè)個(gè)無(wú)聲走開(kāi)。

沒(méi)有人比吳子熊更懊惱，但也沒(méi)有人比吳子熊更堅(jiān)持。

滿(mǎn)足廣大農(nóng)村地區(qū)讀者的閱讀需求是新聞出版公共服務(wù)體系的重點(diǎn)之一。到2017年，我國(guó)已建成農(nóng)家書(shū)屋60萬(wàn)個(gè)，覆蓋了全國(guó)具備基本條件的行政村，建成數(shù)字農(nóng)家書(shū)屋3.5萬(wàn)個(gè)，城鄉(xiāng)閱報(bào)欄（屏）10萬(wàn)個(gè)，形成了形式多樣、內(nèi)容豐富的立體傳播體系。

他不氣餒，去請(qǐng)教車(chē)床師傅。車(chē)床磨刀師傅告訴他，砂輪轉(zhuǎn)速快，沖力大，磨刀的力量也大；反之，磨刀的力量也小。“要磨出一把鋒利的切割刀，砂輪轉(zhuǎn)速很關(guān)鍵。不知道刻玻璃是否也是這個(gè)道理？”

一語(yǔ)點(diǎn)醒夢(mèng)中人。吳子熊記得旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)的刻花機(jī)轉(zhuǎn)速在400至600轉(zhuǎn)/分鐘，他跑回廠(chǎng)里測(cè)試，這臺(tái)簡(jiǎn)易刻花機(jī)的轉(zhuǎn)速居然達(dá)到了1000轉(zhuǎn)/分鐘以上。這么高的轉(zhuǎn)速，玻璃豈有不破之理！

解決了癥結(jié)所在，海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)第一只刻花玻璃杯很快出品。技術(shù)就是紅利。海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)嘗到了甜頭，生意火了，刻花機(jī)也從1臺(tái)迅速發(fā)展到80臺(tái)，超過(guò)了旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)的規(guī)模。

吳子熊發(fā)現(xiàn)，旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)的雕刻師傅雖然技藝高超，但他們是按圖刻樣，一旦離開(kāi)圖紙，就束手無(wú)策，而畫(huà)圖的人，又不會(huì)雕刻。

他既會(huì)畫(huà)圖，又會(huì)操作，這是他的優(yōu)勢(shì)。

在海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)第一臺(tái)刻花機(jī)上操作嘗試幾個(gè)月后，吳子熊便不再滿(mǎn)足于依樣畫(huà)葫蘆。此時(shí)，他回望旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)，那些師傅的技藝不再可望而不可及；旅大玻璃制品廠(chǎng)陳列室里的展品，也不再那么神奇。

他決定創(chuàng)新，走出一條獨(dú)一無(wú)二的玻雕之路。

他把中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)水墨畫(huà)藝術(shù)，融入到玻雕藝術(shù)之中。齊白石的“蝦”，徐悲鴻的“奔馬”，潘天壽的“蒼鷹”，他都下過(guò)功夫仔細(xì)研究。

漸漸地，一只“活蝦”，兩只“活蝦”……千百只“活蝦”活躍于吳子熊的胸中。

從此，不論何時(shí)何地，只要一臺(tái)砂輪機(jī)，一只玻璃杯，他就能在幾十秒內(nèi)刻出一只“活蝦”來(lái)。

觀(guān)者驚為絕技。

吳子熊變得“多愁善感”起來(lái)，世間太多的美好，讓他留戀?！白匀唤缰械囊欢浠?，一只鳥(niǎo)，一次偶然的變化，一個(gè)微妙的象征，都會(huì)喚起我心頭的美感。我要把這種美好的體驗(yàn)刻到玻璃作品之中，分享給更多的人?！?/p>

令世界為此贊嘆

在特殊的十年里，海門(mén)玻璃廠(chǎng)業(yè)務(wù)量大減。這是吳子熊沉寂的十年，也是他技藝精進(jìn)的十年。

這十年，他利用廠(chǎng)里的碎玻璃，在砂輪上反復(fù)練習(xí)，嘗試各種雕刻手法，最終到達(dá)了只要腦中能想到、手下就能刻出的境界。

繪畫(huà)的線(xiàn)條和構(gòu)圖、書(shū)法的走筆、音樂(lè)的節(jié)奏，都融合在他的玻雕藝術(shù)之中。他的作品，匠人按部就班的痕跡沒(méi)有了，藝術(shù)的美感更濃郁了。

改革開(kāi)放后，吳子熊迎來(lái)高光時(shí)刻。1978年，人民大會(huì)堂浙江廳整修，西廂壁上兩盞玻璃雕花壁燈上的馬蹄花圖案，就是指定他雕刻完成的。之后，他在北京、香港、上海等地亮相，精湛的表演，令觀(guān)者無(wú)不為之叫絕。

“吳子熊”的名字，不脛而走。國(guó)外的邀請(qǐng)函，也如雪花般飛來(lái)。從1986年起，他先后到訪(fǎng)德國(guó)、荷蘭、英國(guó)、澳大利亞、美國(guó)、日本、新加坡、意大利等國(guó)家，所到之處，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)獻(xiàn)藝，無(wú)不驚艷四座。

離國(guó)越遠(yuǎn)，越牽掛祖國(guó)；出國(guó)越多，越覺(jué)得祖國(guó)可親。

吳子熊在各國(guó)享受鮮花和掌聲的同時(shí)，也深刻地感受到，許多外國(guó)人對(duì)中國(guó)缺乏基本的了解。1989年2月6日，是農(nóng)歷春節(jié)。他應(yīng)邀在澳大利亞布里斯班市中心的“Myer”連鎖商場(chǎng)表演?！癕yer”是澳大利亞最大的百貨商店集團(tuán)。但是，當(dāng)他走進(jìn)豪華的商場(chǎng)時(shí)驚呆了。眼前，四根毛竹支起一個(gè)茅棚，茅棚邊一把竹梯、一盆樹(shù)景、四只籮筐—一幅原始的“中國(guó)家居圖”，與周?chē)h(huán)境極不相稱(chēng)。

“中國(guó)不是這樣的，我不能在茅棚下工作?！眳亲有苷f(shuō)。

在他的要求下，組辦方另設(shè)工作臺(tái)，重新布置現(xiàn)場(chǎng)。

他的表演一如既往的精彩。他在日記中寫(xiě)道，看著自己的表演和玻雕作品在異國(guó)他鄉(xiāng)深受歡迎，“一股民族自豪感在胸中洋溢”。

吳子熊以玻雕為媒，自覺(jué)擔(dān)負(fù)起文化使者的角色，積極走出去，讓世界了解中國(guó)。一件件玻雕作品，成了他與數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的陌生人建立友誼的紐帶。至今，他共收到外國(guó)友人題詞、簽名三萬(wàn)余件，其中不乏各國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和文化名人。

2004年5月，位于臺(tái)州中心大道東側(cè)的吳子熊玻璃藝術(shù)館落成。該館為國(guó)家3A級(jí)旅游景區(qū)，免費(fèi)對(duì)外開(kāi)放。

以藝術(shù)館為陣地，立足臺(tái)州，傳播文化。吳子熊的人生，又翻開(kāi)了新的一頁(yè)。

正像他在玻雕作品《生命的力量》里表現(xiàn)的那樣—生命是頑強(qiáng)的，他所經(jīng)歷的種種苦難和失敗，到最后，都成了他不斷努力、走向成功的寶貴經(jīng)驗(yàn)和財(cái)富。

“馬的一生，是奔跑一生，死時(shí)都是保持站立的姿勢(shì)。我要像馬一樣，在絢爛的有情世界里，在透明的玻璃世界里，接受考驗(yàn)，奔跑不止?！眳亲有苷f(shuō)。

吳子熊玻璃藝術(shù)館第二代傳人、中國(guó)玻璃藝術(shù)大師吳剛和徒弟孫亮的玻雕作品《中國(guó)加油—眾志成城戰(zhàn)疫情》。Go China — Stand United to Fight the Epidemic, a work of glass carving and sculpture by Wu Gang, a second-generation craftsman of the Wu Zixiong Glass Art Gallery and a Chinese master of glass art, and his apprentice Sun Liang.

Making Glass Art Known to the World

By Bao Jianyong

He has perfected the art of glass engraving and carving.

When the flywheel turns, he picks up a glass cup with the wheel as the pen, and a piece of glass engraving art can be done in no time. Patterns of flowers, birds, insects and fish are just lifelike,and the inscription fully shows the beauty of Chinese calligraphy.

It is simply a pleasure to watch him perform his glass engraving and carving skills.

Many tourists come here to watch the master’s skills on display. “That was quick!” “Bravo!” Such compliments can be heard almost constantly.

Behind all these lie the unremitting pursuit of glass art and the infinite desire to realize the value of life for Wu Zixiong, a master of Chinese arts and crafts and an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in Zhejiang province.

Wu has been into the art of glass engraving and carving for more than 60 years. Although he is famous all over the world, he has never changed his true character as a craftsman and always calls himself as such — “an old craftsman”.

On the west side of the People’s Square in Taizhou city, stands a two-story gray building, the Wu Zixiong Glass Art Gallery,which is open to the public free of charge. Whenever there are tourists who come in groups, Wu often acts as a tour guide and starts the grinding wheel to show the charm of the glass art to them.

While visitors are amazed by Wu’s glass artworks, they are more fascinated with his legendary life. From a small beggar to a workshop worker, Wu eventually grew into a world-renowned master of arts and crafts. His glass sculptures are loved by people all over the world and have received more than 30,000 pieces of inscriptions and signatures from foreign friends.

Wu was born in the autumn of 1942, into a rural family in Wuqiao village, Xianju county. In fact, his grandfather was a scholar in the latter years of the Qing dynasty (1616-1911), who had practiced medicine and been a teacher. Wu’s father studied under his grandfather. It was said that on the night Wu was born,his father dreamed of a big black bear running into the house and awoke with a cold sweat. Soon afterwards, his son was born. His father therefore named him Zi Xiong, literally “Son Bear”.

Wu is the sixth child in his family. He has two elder brothers and three elder sisters. At the time of his birth, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was in stalemate, and the Wu family was already very poor. The whole family lived in a Buddhist nunnery near the village, and his two elder sisters were given to others as child brides.

In early 1946, Wu’s mother died in poverty and suffering. In 1948, his father started practicing medicine in Haimen (now part of Jiaojiang district, Taizhou city), where he was left to fend for himself with his 10-year-old sister Shaoqiu and 8-year-old brother Hezhong. Half a year later, they were brought to Haimen and reunited with their father.

玻雕作品。A work of glass carving and sculpture.

吳子熊玻雕作品《九七龍慶回歸》。Dragons of 97 Celebrating Hong Kong’s Return, a work of glass carving and sculpture by Wu Zixiong.

However, good times did not last, as Wu’s father later died of illness. To survive, Wu’s stepmother had no choice but to remarry. After graduating from primary school, Wu knew that his stepmother lived a hard life as well. Over the years, he sold flatbread and steamed bread, worked as a beggar, and was beaten.Cold and hunger were the norm.

As he grew up, one summer evening, he was walking along the main street in Haimen with nothing to do and feeling restless.Unknowingly, Wu walked to the gate of Haimen Glass Factory,where a middle-aged man wearing shorts was standing in the shade to enjoy the cool.

“Comrade, do you need any apprentices here?” Wu ventured up to ask.

“How old are you, kid?” The man replied in an accent that was not local.

“16.”

“Alright. Please come here tomorrow,” the middle-aged man ruffled Wu’s hair. “We had a vacancy.”

It seemed like the process was so easy.

Thus, Wu’s life trajectory had been inadvertently and forever changed.

He became a worker at the state-owned Haimen Glass Factory. His job was to insert a bamboo rod into the fracture of a variety of glassware still evolving in solution on the hearth and send it to the mouth of an annealing kiln 15 meters away at the fastest speed. Annealing workers holding a long iron fork would take over the ware into the burning annealing kiln.

On average, Wu delivered more than 500 pieces of glassware every day. Within a distance of 15 meters, it was equivalent to a brisk walk of at least 15 kilometers in a high-temperature workshop.

He cherished his job, clocking in early and clocking out late at work, and he worked hard without any complaint. In 1960, Wu was selected by the factory to study for three months at the Lyuda Glass Factory, the biggest in China at the time, together with dozens more from other factories across the country.

In the showroom, vases, flower baskets and overhead lamps of various colors and shapes dazzled. The beautiful goldfish, the peacock and the swimming shrimp were as if they were alive on the crystal jade.

玻雕作品。A work of glass carving and sculpture.

Wu Zixiong was stunned. His peers who came to study with him all wanted to learn the craft. However, the factory guarded its techniques closely, and even taking photos was forbidden. But it was such a rare opportunity for Wu, and he was determined to learn something.

At Wu’s request, he was assigned to visit the engraving and carving workshop. He memorized the exquisite carving skills of the master craftsmen. Every petal, every branch, every connecting pattern, he drew on his palm. When his hand was painted full, he would draw on the cigarette boxes. Back to the dormitory in the evening, Wu would then copy the drawings on the paper.

While the master craftsmen were initially reluctant to teach Wu the craft, he simply worked hard. Every morning, he was the first to the workshop to help them fill the water in the barrel and wipe the machines clean. After work, he helped clean the whole workshop with the on-duty master craftsmen. Learning that the families of three master craftswomen were living a frugal life, he saved his food rations for them.

Eventually, these master craftsmen were moved and taught Wu their unique carving and engraving techniques and skills.During his stay in Lyuda, he also participated in the ceiling lamp carving project of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.On weekends, he would visit department stores, museums and exhibition halls to look for glass sculptures and engraving patterns,before copying them down. In less than three months, Wu would collect almost 1,000 pieces of designs.

“Glass art is so fascinating that I decided to devote my life to it,” declared Wu.

After his return from the Lyuda Glass Factory, Wu was entrusted with the task of building their own glass sculpture workshop and cultivating more talents. But compared to Lyuda,Haimen’s technologies, mainly relying on sandblasting, were way more backward. The glassware, after sandblasting, could not retain any patterns or designs except for sand marks.

The priority, therefore, was for Wu to manufacture a grinding wheel carving machine. Despite his multiple attempts, they all failed.

He then traveled around and found an old worker named Qiu Zhaofa. Qiu used to work in a glass factory in Shanghai and saw the operation process of Japanese grinding glass technicians.When he returned to Haimen, he bought a pile of discarded small grinding wheels from the factor.

“Can you sell us your grinding wheels?”

“No need to buy, I’d also like to contribute to the development of Haimen Glass Factory.”

Under the guidance of Qiu, a simple grinding wheel carving machine was quickly made. The whole factory was looking forward to the success of the test.

Wu Zixiong was both excited and nervous. He sat down and started the motor, the grinding wheel whirring. He grasped the glass tightly and touched it lightly on the tip of the grinding wheel to create a white arc. Just as he was about to carve a petal, the glass cracked with a snap. He picked up the second glass and there was another crack ... Five times in a row. Five cracks.

The onlooking workers walked away silently one by one,anticipation turning into disappointment. No one is more annoyed than Wu, but no one is more persistent than him.

Undaunted, he went to consult the lathe operator. He was told the speed of the grinding wheels determined their impact and power, which suddenly made him realize the “mistake” he had committed: 1000 revolutions per minute would surely break the glass!

Later, when the speed was adjusted to 400 to 600 revolutions per minute,the first engraved glass product of the factory was soon born. Soon business boomed and the carving machine increased from a single one to 80, even more than Lyuda.

Wu also started to sharpen his skills. He found that those craftsmen at Lyuda were only able to carve but couldn’t draw, and those who could draw didn’t know how to carve. On the contrary,Wu could do both.

Moreover, he integrated the traditional Chinese ink painting art — the lines and compositions of paintings, the strokes of calligraphy and the rhythm of music — into his glass sculptures.

"A flower,a bird,an accidental change,a subtle symbol,all evoke beauty in my heart. I want to carve this beautiful experience into glass works and share it with more people,” Wu said.

In 1978, when the Zhejiang pavilion of the Great Hall of the People was renovated, he was assigned to carve the horseshoe flower patterns on the two glass-engraved wall lamps on the west wing. Later, he wowed his audiences in Beijing, Hong Kong,Shanghai and other places with his exquisite skills.

The name "Wu Zixiong" soon became known internationally.He was invited to Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Australia,the US,Japan,Singapore,Italy,among other countries.The more he traveled, the more he felt attached to his home country, the more he realized there was still a lack of understanding about China in many parts of the world.

February 6, 1989 was the lunar New Year. Wu was invited to perform at Myer, Australia’s largest chain store, in downtown Brisbane. But when he walked into the luxury mall, he was shocked. In front of him, four bamboo poles supported a thatched hut, with a bamboo ladder, a bonsai and four baskets— a primitive “Chinese household”, quite incongruous with the surroundings.

“It’s not like this in China; I can’t work in a thatched hut,”Wu protested. At his request, the organizer set up another working station and rearranged the site.

Seeing how well-received his performances and his sculptures were in foreign lands, Wu wrote in his diary that “a sense of national pride filled my heart".

Indeed, each piece of glass sculpture has become a bond of friendship between him and thousands of strangers. So far, he has received more than 30,000 inscriptions and signatures from foreign friends, including luminaries and cultural celebrities.

In May 2004, the Wu Zixiong Glass Art Gallery, located on the east side of Taizhou Central Avenue, was completed. A national 3A tourist attraction, the gallery is open to the public free of charge. With the gallery serving as a base spreading spread art and culture in Taizhou, Wu Zixiong’s life has turned a new page.

Just as he showed in the glass sculpture The Power of Lite , life is tenacious.He experienced all kinds of suffering and failure,and in the end these experiences have become the most valuable wealth of his pishing for his continuous efforts towards more successes.

“A horse’s life is a life full of gallops and even its death a horse would maintain a standing position. I want to be like a horse, in this gorgeous world, in this transparent world of glass, constantly tested and always running.”

Because Wu’s Chinese zodiac animal is the horse.

玻雕作品。A work of glass carving and sculpture.