Chapter 38 From storing ice to carving ice

In the scorching summer, natural ice can be said to be a hot pet for people in summer before the invention of electric fans and air conditioners.Because Beijing has been the imperial capital for many generations, it is extremely cold in winter. When it comes to March 9th, it digs ice and stores it for summer needs. Kill the heat. When I was a child, I went skating in Beihai or Zhongnanhai in winter. Although the ice was as flat as a mirror, there were small red flags on some of the ice, which told skating that the ice-cutting restricted area was forbidden.Use an ice drill to cut a five-foot-square grid on the ice. When the ice freezes to a certain thickness, you have to dig holes to get the ice, and transport it to the ice cellar for storage. The cellar will be opened next summer to get ice.Careless skating friends are happy to skate on the ice, and one can't hold his feet, slips into the ice hole and dies, there are always a few every year.It is said that this kind of ice cellars are all located in the Shichahai area, the largest one can store more than 80,000 pieces of solid ice, and the loess cultivated is three or four feet higher than the ground.The soil in Beijing is so thick that no water can be found even if you dig it down to ten or eight feet, so it can be piled up five or six stories high, just like an iceberg.I always think of the ice cellar to watch the live action of stacking and unloading ice.In winter, when the cellars are closed, you can’t see anything. When the cellars are opened in late spring and early summer to collect ice, the left side of the cellar door is about minus 20 degrees, and the center of the cellar is almost minus 40 degrees. Cowhide boots, our unlined shoes, how can we resist the biting cold.Therefore, the family has repeatedly warned that it is forbidden to walk near the ice cellar to avoid freezing.

One year I attended a relative's funeral, and the funeral was in Yangfang Hutong. Within a few steps, there was an ice cellar.I met a few young and good friends, and we all coaxed together, so we went hand in hand!It happened that the workers were unloading the ice from the iceberg. There were two people on one side, with quick movements and strong muscles, each of them looked like a Hercules.There was white mist in the cellar, and three feet away from the cellar door, I felt the cold and suffocating, so I had to return despite the difficulties. Generally, well-to-do households in Beijing, every year after the spring equinox and before Qingming, they almost take out the ice buckets that have been stored for the winter and clean them. After a few days, someone will come to the door to deliver ice.The old-fashioned ice buckets that pay attention to some points have small holes in the tin-wrapped rosewood wood for the icy water to pour down.There are two ice bucket lids, which just cover the ice bucket. One of them is engraved with various patterns of scenic spots and historical sites, which also has the function of cooling and ventilation. The ice bucket is placed on a solid wooden shelf, and a small porcelain basin is placed underneath to catch the drip.This kind of ice bucket can not only freeze food and cold drinks, but also let out a trace of coolness along the air holes. It is very convenient to drink ice and drink water. Before the invention of the refrigerator, it was really a gift in summer.

Before the Anti-Japanese War, ice was delivered on a monthly basis, about one yuan per month, and the ice cubes delivered could melt for a whole day.In the heat of summer, the melting of the ice accelerates, and with a little extra, the new ice and the old ice can be connected end to end. One year, the Yellow River burst its embankment, and some parts of Henan Province became the country of Ze, and the mourners fled everywhere.Huayang Charity Relief Association held a charity ball in the Beijing Hotel to help the victims with the feeling of drowning in others.It's late autumn, the roof garden, the Qionglou is blowing clouds, thinking about the desolate and red dresses, and changing to the dance floor on the second floor because of fear of the hot people, it happens that there is a Danish sculptor Kaheya living in the old red building, he is He specially went to Beijing to study Liu Lan's sculpture. Not only is he good at sculpting portraits, but he is also good at ice sculpture.Ice sculptures originated in France. They appeared for the first time at the palace banquet in the previous century, and became decorations at the banquet. Especially in the hot summer, a good ice sculpture can not only be watched, but also make the guests have a chilling experience. The feeling of the heat disappearing.Half a century ago, ice sculpture was still a very novel term in China, and there were not many participants.

On the day of the charity ball, there was originally a huge oil painting hanging on the north side of the dance floor. Kahiya planned to build an entire ice wall, and a lead iron trough was laid underneath to allow the ice to flow away. can not tell.He carved a little boy more than four feet high, and he used his hands to plug the leaks in the wall. If he dared to carve a little boy in a Dutch story, he blocked the embankment from breaking. Right to the point, ingenious and skillful, all the ladies at the meeting toasted and congratulated him.This is the first ice sculpture I have seen. In the second year after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, various production and public institutions in Taiwan Province held a large-scale exhibition in the current Presidential Palace.Xu Ran, a technician in an industrial and mining company, worked with me in the "Resources Committee" when we were in the Mainland.He has always been ingenious and innovative in thinking. After he came to Taiwan, he worked in a fishery company. He was useless as a hero, and he was full of books and felt bored.Recommended by the planning department of the industrial and mining company, he put flowers, birds, insects and fish through disinfection and chemical treatment, and solidified them in icicles with a diameter of three feet.The strange-shaped fish caught in the ice are frozen in the ice, which is an eye-opener for the visitors. He can also freeze all kinds of orchids produced in Taiwan in the ice, which is equivalent to opening an orchid exhibition. It is to attract the ladies of Ailan, who can't stop lingering.The company also sent a special person to spray the essence after a while and use a fan to blow it, and the fragrance mist is pleasant and more distinctive.At that time, I suddenly remembered that I saw the ice sculptures of the Beijing Hotel in Beijing. Taiwan is located in the subtropical zone, and it is hot for half a year, and some evening parties are held in the courtyard. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have ice sculptures dotted between emerald curtains and jade tables, carving out frozen delicacies.

I told him that he had several ice sculpture books brought back from France, and there were detailed drawings of the ice carving tools.According to the book, to make the ice firm and resistant to melting, several chemicals should be dissolved in water first.The icehouse of the fishery company was under his control, so he succeeded in researching it not long after.He said: "Ice sculptures must first have a good draft, and when carving, you must plan and move, and your hands must be firm and steady. Famous Chinese seal carving masters pay attention to 'one knife determines the country'. If you are willing to work hard on ice sculptures, all of them may be A world-class ice sculptor." Mr. Wei Bozheng held a welcome garden party at the Taipei Hotel when he presided over the provincial government, and Xu Ranyi happily carved a six-foot flying dragon with scales connected to each other.One of the guests, Mr. Chase, was quite knowledgeable and took many photos before carving the dragon.He came to visit at the beginning of this year and asked about Xu Ran's whereabouts.Someone told him that Xu Ran had gone to Saudi Arabia. He thought that although the banquet in Saudi Arabia had a special atmosphere, it was a pity that the ice sculpture skills would be difficult to display in Saudi Arabia!

The year before last in Bangkok, a summer resort in Portya, a new building called ROYAL BEACH HOTEL was completed, and a garden reception was held in the evening.In every food platform, there is a very creative ice sculpture.In front of the central fountain, there is a huge ice sculpture of Paputa Yuhua Chulaloden, Rama I of the Bangkok Dynasty, with a leaping horse and a galloping posture.It is said that Thailand is located in the tropics. Whenever there is a grand banquet, an ice sculpture should be erected in the Wenxuan corridor, the wind lattice water threshold, and the sitting place to repel mosquitoes and cool off the heat, and at the same time show the grandeur of the banquet.This ice sculpture expert made a special trip to Italy for five years before returning home.Ask him not to ask questions about ice sculptures, and let him make any sculptures, as long as four to five thousand baht. If you ask questions, it will cost more than ten thousand baht!

Take the ice sculpture of Emperor I for example.Generally, ice cubes are forty-four inches high and twenty-two inches wide. This ice sculpture is fifty-six inches high and thirty-eight inches thick. If you have to go to the ice factory to order, the price will be very different!In the meeting place, there is a wine cold drink stand in the arched resting place of the corridor. In the middle is a three-foot-diameter engraved silver plate, and a huge long-stemmed wine glass is carved out of ice.Four kittens are lying around the edge of the cup, and there is a mouse at the bottom of the cup; the most rare thing is that the kittens are staring at each other, ready to jump down and eat their fast; while the mouse at the bottom of the cup is trembling and pale, as if waiting for a crime Lamb; fill the cup with mint wine.This kind of wonderful ice sculpture, even people who don't drink, have to come over to scoop a glass of wine and appreciate this ice sculpture.I heard that this ice sculptor, Adilun, was only in his twenties. He was extremely talented and self-taught ice sculptors. Not long after that, he was spotted by an ice sculptor in the Philippines and thought he was suitable for further studies, so he brought him Go to Baguio to teach and learn.In the future, after returning to China after studying, he will definitely shine in Thailand's ice sculpture art.

It is said that there are several ice sculpture artists in Taiwan, one is Lin Xinlang and the other is Zheng Zeshao.Mr. Lin is self-taught, and he researched it by himself.At the reception, I saw Lin Jundiao's galloping horse, flying wild crane, galloping urchin, and standing white elephant.According to him, carving figures, dragons and horses is rather troublesome and takes about 40 minutes to complete. If carving swans, wild owls and other simple animals, it only takes 15 minutes. Zheng Jun's craft was learned from a master in Hawaii.He said: "Before construction, we must first order ice cubes suitable for carving from the ice factory. The harder the ice, the more transparent the color, the better. The suffocation contained in the ice should be removed as much as possible to prevent the ice from appearing white and easily broken. The ice is so cold and bulky that it can’t be changed once it’s made a mistake, so the composition of the plan is extremely important. It’s best to use transparent paper with the same volume as the ice cube to mark the position on the paper and draw the figure. Paste it on the ice, and then quickly carve out the lines with a drill knife, sawing and chiseling, and complete a work quickly. As for the artistic conception, it depends on the individual's artistic attainments and accomplishments. It is best to send ice sculptures to Go back to the freezer to freeze, because after freezing, the whole ice sculpture is white like frosted glass, pure and ice-clear, and resistant to melting. Sometimes there is a stroke of genius that even I don’t understand, and I don’t know where the inspiration came from.”

In late March, I came to the hotel to celebrate the anniversary of its opening, and held a Chinese and Western restaurant feast. At that time, I went to Kaohsiung for business, but I couldn't take advantage of it.I heard that there are several exquisite ice sculptures on display at the venue, such as Yaolin Qiongshu and Zhuxiangyuxiao, which are quite impressive, but it is a pity that they missed it.Now ice sculptures have become an indispensable decoration to enhance the atmosphere of the banquet. I think there will be excellent works for people to appreciate in the future!