Dragon Boat A Great Symbol of Eastern Culture / 傳遞東方熱情的工藝龍舟
◎Written By Yun-si Lin
◎Photograph by Jung-Hui Pao and Chia-Tse Kao
Each year the Dragon Boat Festival exhibits exciting dragon boat races on the Love River. These beautiful, speedy dragon boats are definitely a great attraction.
The dragon boats hold significant meaning for the Chinese culture. The dragon is a symbol of respect and honor. Dragon Boat Festival began as a memorial and tribute to the renowned poet Qu Yuan. When the festival began the Dragon Boats were an indispensable part of the ceremony. People place a great deal of care in the construction of boats. In ancient times people would even have an auspicious date selected when beginning construction on a boat. Dragon boats today are mainly used for athletic activities and maintaining tradition, however, before the boats are launched, the Eye-Dotting ceremony is still carried out to pray for good luck and peace.
The construction of a dragon boat is a traditional handicraft requiring great skill. Mr. Qing-zheng Liu's family has built dragon boats for three generations in Jiantan. Traditionally, the carpenters used first-class timber and the boats were completely handmade. Emphasis is put on quality timber such as cypress, red cypress or Chinese fir.
65-year-old Mr. Liu, has built dragon boats for more than forty years. He explained the most popular type of popular dragon boat used today is the ones with nine sets of oars, measuring twelve meters in length. He once built a 16-set-oar dragon boat for the Temple of Qu Yuan in Beitou. Building a dragon boat is not an easy task. Not only does one have to be careful in measuring the angle of the head and the tail, the carpenter must also calculate the maximum weight the boat can hold. These factors are crucial for the safe and smooth sailing of the boat.
The width of the boat's front will influence the speed. Dragon boats with narrow fronts are usually faster but less stable. Boats with wider fronts will be more stable but slower in terms of speed.
Mr. Liu is a master carpenter of dragon boats and is considered the best the north has to offer. Mr. Quan-rui Hong, Presently residing in Donggang, on the other hand is considered the master of dragon boat construction in the south. Liu began constructing wooden boats when he was twelve years old. He explained sculpting and painting skills are also essential for a good dragon boat carpenter. It takes a particularly exquisite sculpturing skill to create a vivid head for a boat. A balance between the head and the body of the boat also needs to be expertly established.
Known as "The Dragon Boat Master", Mr. Hong emphasized that the appearance of a dragon boat is very important. The dragon boat tradition has to be integrated into every aspect of the construction. The desired effect is a lively dragon navigating down the river.
As time went by, the carpenters began using different materials for the construction of dragon boats. One example of this is the less expensive, lighter FRP (Glass Fiber). Although, in northern Taiwan, dragon boats are still mostly made from wood, in the south, FRP dragon boats are more common. The carpenters of southern Taiwan believe FRP is lighter and has a longer life span. Construction of FRP boats is different from building the wooden type. However, every part of the boat still has to be carefully measured in order to create a beautiful boat.
Chinese people, especially Kaohsiung citizens who reside beside the Love River, consider dragon boats a symbol of passion and tradition. Many years ago Kaohsiung gave gifts of dragon boats to Vancouver and Cape Town. This year, the Kaohsiung City Government gave a beautiful wooden dragon boat to Amsterdam when they consolidated their friendship and their plans for future cultural exchanges between the two cities.
◎文／林昀熹 ◎攝影／鮑忠暉
每年端午節在高雄愛河上總是有著熱鬧又刺激的龍舟競賽，龍舟賽的最引人注目的焦點莫過於那一艘艘擁有鮮豔彩繪圖案、在眾人合力下急速前行的龍舟了。
對於華人來說，「龍舟」有著不同於一般船隻的意義。由於「龍」是漢人視為尊貴而崇拜的圖騰，而紀念詩人屈原又是最為人知的划龍舟起源，因此在古代，龍舟是傳統端午祭祀儀式中的重要道具，也因此人們特別重視龍舟的製作，早年在龍舟開造前，甚至要選定黃道吉日祭祀後才能開工；如今雖然龍舟作為體育用具與延續傳統的意義已大過於祭祀，但仍會在下水時舉行「點睛」儀式，以祈求行船順遂、地方平安。
而龍舟的製作更是一項精緻的工藝。從曾祖父開始，家族就在台北劍潭造船的劉清正師傅說，傳統龍舟是以木材手工打造，因此選材很重要，使用的多半是檜木、紅檜、香杉和亞杉等一級木材。
現年六十五歲、已有四十多年造船經驗的劉師傅表示，目前最盛行的龍舟長度為「九對槳」，也就是十二公尺長，但他也曾經為北投屈原公廟造過十六對槳的大龍舟。劉師傅說，龍舟除了船身頭尾弧度的拿捏與製作較不容易，切割木材前，更要計算好承載重量，才能行船平穩。
同時龍船前半底部的寬窄也影響船隻特性，前半底部較窄的划起來速度較快，但較不穩定，而底部較寬的就比較平穩，但速度就相對慢一些。
若說劉清正師傅是北台灣龍舟翹楚，世代木工、十三歲開始學造木船、位於東港的洪全瑞師傅，就是南台灣造龍舟的第一把交椅。劉師傅表示，雕刻、彩繪也是龍舟師傅的必備技術，因為活靈活現的龍頭就需要精湛的雕刻手藝，同時龍頭大小也要配合船身長短，以取得最好的平衡。
人稱「舟大工」的洪全瑞師傅說，龍舟的造型很重要，要有一氣呵成的整體感，像是一尾活生生的龍在河中迅速劃過水面，這才是好的龍舟。
隨著時代演進，更低成本、材質更輕的FRP(玻璃纖維)龍舟也出現了，目前台灣北部仍盛行木造龍舟，而南部則以一體成型的FRP龍舟較多。FRP質料較輕，使用壽命更長，雖然與木工製作的技術不同，但是船身需要注意的細節也和木造龍舟相同，每個部分都要計算好。
龍舟對於華人、尤其擁有愛河的高雄人來說，是傳統與熱情的延續，因此高雄多年前就曾以龍舟贈送溫哥華市及開普敦市，今年又贈送一艘精緻的木造龍舟給同樣為水岸城市的荷蘭阿姆斯特芬市，締結城市友誼，並藉著龍舟交流城市文化，傳送高雄人的熱情。