11
7
Hundreds of years ago, the process for making wooden utensils was all about using your foot. Foot-powered lathes were used to make bowls, tool handles and small toys. Fortunately, some of these traditional lathes still exist. Shawo Village sits in a small province of China and houses one of these machines. Only six elderly men regularly use the lathe, but the method has begun to be embraced by the younger generation. Featured in this video is 84-year old Cheng Jinqing who demonstrates the process of turning a traditional Shawo wooden bowl. He is accompanied by his younger apprentice Li Xuemin. Together they are working to keep the beautiful, centuries-old tradition alive