Cooperage, a traditional Chinese trade, used to be an essential trade like carpentry and stonemasonry. However, it has faded in modern times, now mostly known as an intangible cultural heritage.
Qi Jianfei is one of just a few people that still see cooperage, or barrel-making, as a full-time trade. "To me, cooperage is a family business. My father did it for a living, my grandfather did it for a living, and I hope to pass it on to my children as well," Qi said.
When it comes to cooperage, 64-year-old Qi knows his stuff. The key is patience and determination. In the traditional barrel-making process, every piece of wood has to be bound together perfectly. There's no room for sloppiness. In order to make each piece fit together, Qi carves and polishes them for almost half a day before assembling them. After assembly, he polishes each barrel's surface with tung oil, a Chinese specialty. After three rounds of polishing, a piece is considered done.
In the 21st century, most coopers operate barrel-making machinery to make rice buckets, foot drums and small wooden bathtub. However, Qi still does his work the traditional way because he sees cooperage as not only a trade but also a cultural symbol.