Craftsman navigates Red Boat Spirit in east China

Every month, Han Minghua comes to Nanhu Lake just to take a look at the Red Boat, one of the most iconic boats in the country.

“It’s like visiting an old friend,” said Han, 67, a craftsman in the city of Jiaxing in east China’s Zhejiang Province. Over the past 20 years, Han has created more than 200,000 models of the Red Boat, big and small.

The Red Boat is a replica of a historical boat in Jiaxing, honoring the conclusion of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1921.

One hundred years on, the CPC has grown from a small party of some 50 members into the world’s largest ruling party, with more than 90 million members. The CPC celebrates its centenary this year.

About 15 kilometers from Nanhu Lake, Han’s studio is full of piles of wood. On the eastern side of his rural yard studio sits a 6-meter-long Red Boat model.

In the studio, Han is busy crafting another Red Boat, of red sandalwood.

“I plan to make 100 such models as a gift for the Party’s centenary,” he said.

Han’s craftsman career began 20 years ago, when he was the owner of a home appliance repair store in Jiaxing.

“I remember welcoming a friend from afar, but didn’t have anything to offer as a souvenir,” he said. “So I thought maybe I should learn to craft something on my own, so that when friends come to visit, I have something special to give to them.”

Han thought hard about what best represents Jiaxing, before coming up with the idea of making models of the Red Boat. “The Red Boat is just iconic,” he said. “Besides, I grew up around the river in Jiaxing, and I have always been quite familiar with boats. I even created a small boat model when I was 12.”

The models were not toys in Han’s eyes, but symbols of China’s history and culture.

“You need to respect history and culture,” he said. “The CPC sailed toward the future on a boat 100 years ago, and the Red Boat is a spiritual symbol for every Chinese person.”

When he first started out, Han visited Nanhu Lake again and again to examine the details of the Red Boat.

“The Red Boat is under protection, and you cannot go on it to measure it, so I just used my feet to calculate its size on the bank,” he said.

“For example, the door of the boat cabin features carved pictures, so I bought sandalwood fans and cut the parts with engraved flowers to use as raw materials,” he said.

Through his hard work, one of his Red Boat models was added to the Nanhu revolution museum.

Han’s work is accurate in terms of proportion, and the details are quite delicate, according to the museum staff.

In 2009, one of Han’s boat models won the top prize in a national tourism souvenir competition. In 2018, Han became a provincial-level “inheritor” of intangible culture, and his brand, Minghua Red Boats, gained renown in Zhejiang.

Han said such creative works are his pursuit of not only art, but also of the Red Boat Spirit — pioneering work, striving spirit and dedication.

“We want more people to understand the Red Boat Spirit,” said Han.