From an apprentice to a master of tin, Master Song has been devoted to his tin career for over 50 years.
He owns a small tin shop in Jinxi town, Kunshan city – the only decoration is a black plaque engraved with "Tin Shop" and his phone number, along with various kinds of tin products.
The only decorations of Master Song's tin shop are a black plaque engraved with "Tin Shop" and his phone number, along with various kinds of tin products. [Photo from WeChat account jinxiguzhen] |
"I used to make a living from these tin products, but now I'm just used to the tapping and hammering, and I really enjoy it," said Song.
The products are mainly tin buckets and dustpans, which were quite popular in the old days, but now can only be used for plant watering and measuring rice.
Without too much consideration, the experienced craftsman can make three tin dustpans each day.
"I'm very sorry about the fading craftsmanship, but what I can do is to make as many tin products as possible," he said.
Tin products nowadays, are no longer tools, but serve more as simply a memory of the past. The products produced by the tinsmith are mainly tin buckets and dustpans. [Photo from WeChat account jinxiguzhen] |