A city is like a palm, and the stories of the streets and alleys of the city are like the palm prints covered on the palm.
Chengdu! Originated from the land of abundance, it is rich in products and the people are prosperous. Trade has naturally become a city. Merchants are bustling and shops are standing here. It is the most prosperous city in the extreme southwest.
In the street market, many shops have had their own business names since ancient times. If you want your name to be prominent, you must have a "good sign". Store signs are often hung on their doors. , dazzling and eye-catching to attract passers-by. The first thing that catches the eye of a good signboard is the font representing the name. The vigorous and powerful Chinese characters often make people stand and watch. This is the role of the signboard. From ancient times to the present, there has been a profession of making a living - writing signs.
Today, with the birth of the advertising industry, store signs in thousands of stores are all produced by computers, high-tech design has replaced manual handwriting, and artistic calligraphy and craft calligraphy are popular in every store. The most important thing for store owners is their own signboards, which have the same standard handicraft characters in thousands of cities, and the same color format in thousands of stores, which makes every store in every street in the city the same without distinction and characteristics. Computer advertising production has flooded the whole city. I cannot praise this move!
More than thirty years ago, there was a famous sign writer in Chengdu. Almost half of the signboards of Chengdu shops were written by this old man himself. This old man’s real name is Zhou Tiecheng. Zhouyou, Tieweng and Tietang are his inscriptions.
The old man was from Chengdu. He lived in the small courtyard next to Laohuzao on Shushou Street and worked for the "Beisan Street Banner Club". He was about fifty years old at the time, of medium height, lean and lean. But he has a very good spirit and is free and easy to do things. Before the 1990s, the big signs in front of most businesses in Chengdu were written by Mr. Tie Weng from around the world. They can be seen everywhere! At that time, when I was taking the bus, I would miss the shop signs that flashed by on the roadside. They were all “topics” from traveling around. Several times, I personally saw him writing signs. Visiting the site to see the inscribed "merchant signboard" is a spiritual enjoyment. The whole process was both physically and mentally pleasurable and lively, and I also learned calligraphy, which was a rare good thing.
This is what happened to me. I remember that I personally visited this scene in front of the "Chengdu Seafood and Dried Miscellaneous Store" on Admiral Street.
I remember that Sunday, when I came to Sanyi Temple, I heard that the old man Tie Weng was going to write a sign today. Looking from a distance, the streets are crowded with people. There were so many people that the street was cut off. Young and old stood and stared. Those who were taking a break from get off work even stopped and watched with their horses. The store was completely surrounded by crowds of people on three levels outside. Before writing, the merchant had made some preparations. First, he painted the background color on the hoarding, placed the ladder, and handed the pre-planned sign name to the old man. Tie Weng took the note and pondered it carefully, and only then planned to take action when he was confident. At this time, I saw Tie Weng approaching the bamboo ladder with a small iron bucket filled with paint in one hand and a brush in the other. Pause for a moment and slowly climb up the bamboo ladder. The first "stippling" of the pen is very critical. First, hold your breath and focus slowly, and slowly draw the pen. From this point on, I know what it means: three points into the wood. Every time I finish writing a word, the crowd below will cheer! But looking at the old man, his forehead was already covered with sweat, and his head was filled with heat. He moved his hands to relax his arms and stretch his fingers.
You are truly a master among masters. Paint cannot be as smooth as ink. Writing is like practicing martial arts. First, you must sit firmly with the bottom of your body, and then you can use your hands to exert force and write freely. Because the eyes are very close to the writing panel, and the movements can be moved horizontally and vertically, this skill is extraordinary.
Look again at Tie Weng going down the ladder and up the ladder, holding a bucket in his left hand and a brush in his right hand to write the following word.
After the signboard is written, the merchant will always hand him cigarettes, pour tea and water, and treat him to a nice drink. Someone who wants to do something good will shout loudly: "I'll give you the money to drink!" "That's right!" The old man will smile, turn his head and reply: "Let's go." Then the crowd watching the excitement slowly disperses.
I asked the people watching nearby and learned that each signboard character takes money - RMB 5, and all the income is returned to the Banner Club.
In my mind, Mr. Zhou Tieweng is much more "portable" than those great calligraphers. He performed "calligraphy" while climbing a bamboo ladder and hanging in front of countless eyes in the public. ". Most calligraphers cannot match him in this regard!
Nowadays, it is hard to see the signature inscriptions of Zhou You and Tie Weng in the city. The "Hot Spring Leisure Palace" is my latest discovery. This sign is very precious, it preserves a memory of Chengdu.
In the past two years, I heard a classmate from Shushou Street say: "Mr. Tien Weng Zhou You is still here, and he is already in his nineties.
Now he is working as a consultant for a famous cultural company in Chengdu on Qintai Road, Ximen. ”