During the period of the Kingdom of Tungning, the first Han Chinese government to rule Taiwan, the navy in ancient times would hang their shields with a portrait of a lion head on the doors of their homes after drilling. And then they would insert their sword in the mouths of the lions. That is how powerful "sword lion" came into being. If a thief saw the sword lion, he would know it was a home of a navy and dared not enter. Later, the civilian imitated the practice. And "sword lion" became a symbol of power, strength, and safety. The pattern of sword lion is considered to have the function of avoidance of evil spirits, keeping a house safe, and blessing. Today, we were lucky to come to Chin-fu Shih Woodcarving Workshop to make a sword lion pendant by our own hands.

     When we got the raw materials, we happily put on gloves, picked up a knife, and wanted to show our talents while looking at the finished product. Then, we listened carefully Master Shih's explanation on the production process.

     Everyone began to draw lines and used triangular knives to engrave patterns. While listening to Master Shih's explanation, it seemed very simple, but when we actual operated, we realized that the wood was very hard and required great strength to form beautiful patterns. After carving for a while, our hands became really sour.

     Then Master Shih guided us to piece the carved woods together and explained the key points.

     Finally, we finished assembly. Now it was time to paint. Everyone chose the colors he like and painted carefully.

Done. Really beautiful!

     A group photos with the sword lions we made.

     The sword lion we carved today looked simple, but it was difficult to carve. First we needed to draw the lines of eight diagrams. We knew that craftsmen did not use a ruler while drawing lines. At the beginning, I felt it difficult, but later, I realized it was interesting to do so. After that, we carved eyes, nose, teeth, and so on. Then, we stuck them one by one and painted the colors we liked.

     Today, we made woodcarving by ourselves. First, our master explained the processes. Then, we started to carve. I finished within a short time, but my work was bad. Luckily, my senior schoolmate helped me to correct it. I do not think it is difficult. It was because I did it so fast and not carefully enough! And it needed to be corrected step by step!

     At the workshop, I saw many works of Master Chin-fu Shih. I was impressed by a beautiful wooden cup mat. This time, Master Shih taught us how to carve a lion head. After carving patterns on the lion head, it looked vivid. After painting, it was so beautiful and handsome!

     Today, we would DIY. First, Master Shih taught us some basic carving techniques. We started with drawing lines. Generally, we use a ruler to draw lines, but Master taught us to draw by hands. Then we needed to use carving knives, but we did not know where to start and how to carve. After listening to Master Shih's explanation, we became more adaptive to the knives. Then, we assembled the parts and painted the lion. Coloring was my worst part. Luckily, with the suggestion of Master Shih's wife, I finished my work successfully.

     I looked for DIY for a long time. And today I finally could realize it. After I got the raw materials, I realized that I needed to carve them all by myself. At the beginning, I could hardly carve a line with a knife. Master Shih explained that the way I hold the knife was what Japanese did. The angle between the knife and the table could be too small, otherwise, you could not carve. I spent nearly an hour to finish carving. Then, it was painting. We used acrylic colors. As woods were afraid of humidity, we tried to avoid it from water. Besides using fine and thin pens, we needed to be careful. And our hand could not tremble, otherwise it was destroyed! Since I painted the colors evenly, I did not need to paint more. After adding glitter powder, the lion head was shining. We should protect it carefully to avoid paint from falling. After the experience of the most basic carving techniques, I realized that woodcarving was not an easy thing.

     I knew that we needed to go to Chin-fu Shih Woodcarving Workshop to do DIY on Saturday, but I still felt it was a bit inconvenient. However, after carving for a while, I found that woodcarving was actually interesting. Though I used similar knives before, I still did not carve well at the beginning. With the patient guidance of Master Shih, I became more adaptive to the knife and finished painting. I felt a sense of achievement while looking at my own work. It was a rewarding experience.

     Wow ! I had expected Cyberfair for a long time. Now it finally started. On Saturday, we went to Chin-fu Shih Woodcarving Workshop to do DIY of Sword Lion. When I started carving, Master Shih said to me, "The angel you are holding the knife is too big. Put it a bit lower. You will find it much easier to carve." With the guidance of Master Shih and his wife, I finished my work finally. Thought it was not so good looking, it was a precious experience to me.

     On Saturday, I carved a sword lion and realized that woodcarving was not easy. For the angle and way of holding a knife, I have a lot to learn. When I finished my work, my sword lion looked strong, solemn, and powerful. However, before doing it, I thought woodcarving was easy. When I started to carve, I found it was difficult. Without the help of Master Shih, I had no idea where to start. I became aware of the efforts of craftsmen and understood the saying "One may distinguish himself in any trade". Perseverance will prevail. I thank my school to provide me this opportunity to participate in the woodcarving activity. It was a rewarding experience and helped me realize many life principles.

     My teacher took us to a woodcarving workshop to carve a sword lion by ourselves. Master Shih's wife distributed raw materials to us and taught us to piece them together and then paint. There were carved lines on some pieces of wood by Master Shih. And some others were left blank for us to experience carving. While Master Shih was demonstrating how to carve, it looked simple. And he carved each line straight. When I started carving, the lines were uneven and opposite to straight. Master Shih has practiced his skills day by day diligently so as to reach his current achievement. I really respect him.

     At the beginning, while watching Master Shih carve, it seemed very easy. But when I started to carve, it was not at all easy. The basic pattern of eight diagrams I did was so ugly. Master Shih said that I needed to carve with more strength in a more even manner. Also angle would affect the depth of the lines we carved. I was afraid that the lines I carved would not be straight, but later I realized as long as I pushed the knife forward naturally, the lines would be not tilt. After carving, we stuck the pieces of woods together for painting. I spent almost over forty minutes on colored painting because I needed to pay attention to many details, patterns, air drying, and tying laces. I understood that a craftsman could carve the details and facial expression of figures vividly and lifelike with careful carving and experience so as to present the artistic conception of a work.