77-year-old Craftsman's Passion to Pass on Ancient Shipbuilding Technology(2)

Zhang Guohui, an inheritor of the watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks, makes a model boat at a workshop in Chongwu Town, Hui'an County of Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province, April 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhao Xuetong)

"The renovated ancient ships are the historical witnesses of Quanzhou as a maritime hub of the East and Southeast Asia trade network," said Zhang, who has built and renovated more than 20 model ships for the museum.

"Every time I see my works in the museum, I feel excited," he said, adding that it is meaningful for the younger generations, who can learn from exhibitions of those ancient ships that their ancestors had advanced shipbuilding technology at an early stage.

In 2016, Zhang was appointed as an ancient model ship researcher at the museum and was invited to deliver lectures to university students.

"Students are intrigued by the craftsmanship of shipbuilding, and many of them even came to my workshop to learn about boat making during holidays. As long as I'm alive, I'll keep passing on the heritage," Zhang said.