常州梳篦
Changzhou comb
常州梳篦，江苏省常州市传统美术，国家级非物质文化遗产之一。据地方文献记载，常州梳篦具有悠久的历史，其制作工艺在明代已达到相当高的水平，生产的梳篦被选为宫廷贡品，享有“宫梳名篦”的美誉。常州梳篦制品主要包括梳篦和木梳两个种类。梳篦也称“篦箕”，以毛竹、牛骨、生漆等为原料，经七十多道工序制成；木梳以黄杨木、石楠木为原料，整个生产过程由28道工序组成。
Changzhou Comb, a traditional art of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the national intangible cultural heritages.
According to local literature records, Changzhou combs have a long history, and their production techniques reached a considerable level in the Ming Dynasty. The combs produced were selected as a tribute to the palace and enjoyed the reputation of "famous combs for palace combs". Changzhou comb products mainly include two types: combs and wooden combs. Combs, also known as "grates", are made from raw materials such as bamboo, cow bones, and raw lacquer through more than 70 processes. The wooden comb is made of boxwood and heather as raw materials, and the entire production process consists of 28 steps.
01
历史起源
篦梳，又称栉，是中国古代八大发饰之一。常州篦梳流行已有1500多年的历史。
据传，制篦业的祖师当是陈七子。春秋时期，陈七子为吏，因罪入狱。因狱中生活条件极差，陈七子头上生满虱子，奇痒无比。一次，陈七子被狱卒用毛竹板痛揍后，发现毛竹板裂成了一条条篦片。陈七子将其整理扎压后，用其清除头上的灰垢和虱子。这就是最初的篦箕。据说，后来每年农历二月十八日和九月二十八日，梳篦业都要举行仪式，祭祀祖师，以祈求自己生意兴隆。
Comb, also known as comb, is one of the eight ancient Chinese hair accessories. Changzhou combs have been popular for over 1500 years.
It is said that the founder of the grate-making industry was Chen Qizi. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chen Qizi served as an official and was imprisoned for a crime. Due to the extremely poor living conditions in prison, Chen Qizi's head was covered in lice and extremely itchy. Once, Chen Qizi was beaten by prison guards with bamboo boards and found that the bamboo boards had cracked into strips of grates. After Chen Qizi sorted and pressed it, he used it to remove dirt and lice from his head. This is the original sieve. It is said that every year, on the 18th day of the second lunar month and the 28th day of the ninth lunar month, the combing industry would hold ceremonies to worship their ancestors and pray for prosperous business.
隋朝开凿的京杭大运河从常州穿城而过，当时运河两岸的整街满巷都是篦梳作坊，故有木梳街、篦箕巷之称。
到清代乾隆时期，常州城中已是削竹成篦、比户皆为的景象。光绪年间，苏州织造府官员每年农历七月总要到常州定制60把黄杨木梳、60把梅木脊梁象牙的高级梳篦，并在十月间连同6套龙袍、600朵宫花送到紫禁城，作为贡品进献皇帝，这就是宫梳名篦的由来。据说，慈禧太后对常州的梳篦尤为钟爱。
The Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, excavated during the Sui Dynasty, passed through Changzhou. At that time, the entire streets and alleys on both sides of the canal were filled with comb workshops, hence the names "Wooden Comb Street" and "Basket Lane".
By the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the city of Changzhou was already a scene of bamboo cutting into grates and comparing households. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, officials from the Suzhou Weaving Office would go to Changzhou every year in the seventh lunar month to customise 60 pairs of boxwood combs, 60 pairs of plum wood spine ivory high-end combs, and in October, they would bring six sets of dragon robes and 600 palace flowers to the Forbidden City as tribute to the emperor. This is why the palace combs were named combs. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of Changzhou's combs.
02
文化特征
常州梳篦主要以选材精良、精工细作、齿尖润滑、下水不脱、花式多样、价廉物美而著称。如木梳，一般要选用生长几百年的黄杨、石楠和枣木等原料，经长期自然干燥精制而成。篦箕，采用生长在阴山背后的壮竹，以及上等胶漆、高档骨料等精制而成。常州梳篦已从原来的日用圆背梳，发展到日用造型梳、欣赏梳、装饰梳，花色品种有三百三十八九个。
Changzhou combs are mainly known for their excellent selection of materials, exquisite craftsmanship, lubricated tooth tips, seamless drainage, diverse styles, and affordable quality. Like a wooden comb, it is usually made from raw materials such as boxwood, heather, and jujube wood that have been growing for hundreds of years and refined through long-term natural drying. The grates are made from strong bamboo grown behind shady mountains, as well as refined materials such as high-quality adhesive paint and premium aggregates. Changzhou combs have evolved from daily round-back combs to daily styling combs, appreciation combs, and decorative combs, with a variety of 3399 colours and varieties.
常州梳蓖能去污顺发，刺激头皮神经，促进新陈代谢。常州蓖箕的制作还具有雕描刻烫的精湛技艺，在只有一公分宽的篦梁上，以流利的线条，绚丽的色彩，新颖的构图，描绘着各种有声有色的图案。常州篦箕品种繁多，以制作篦梁的材料而言，就分毛竹、骨头、红木、象牙诸种。以其用途而论，既有纯发去垢的发篦，又有理须整容的胡篦，还有为香蕉树、榕树等树木除虫灭害的虫篦。常州篦箕的梁和齿是用天然生漆胶合而成的，具有耐热耐烫的优良特点，即便放进八十度的热水里浸泡三小时，胶仍不脱落，齿不变形。
Changzhou comb can cleanse hair, stimulate scalp nerves, and promote metabolism. The production of Changzhou bamboo baskets also has exquisite skills in carving, engraving, and ironing. On the one-centimetre wide grate beam, various vivid and colourful patterns are depicted with fluent lines, brilliant colours, and innovative compositions. There are many varieties of grates in Changzhou, and in terms of the materials used to make grates, they can be divided into bamboo, bone, redwood, and ivory. In terms of their uses, there are not only hair grates for pure hair cleaning but also beard grates for cosmetic purposes and insect grates for pest control of banana trees, banyan trees, and other trees. The beams and teeth of Changzhou grates are glued together with natural lacquer, which has excellent characteristics of heat and heat resistance. Even if soaked in hot water at 80 degrees Celsius for three hours, the glue will not fall off, and the teeth will not deform.
03
制作工序
常州篦箕在北方叫篦子，它的制作工艺异常严细。从毛竹劈成竹篾开始，要经过胶、锉、镶、抨、雕、描、刻、烫等七十二道工序。以做篦齿的竹篾而言，要精心选择竹皮与竹肉之间一层很薄的“篾青”，要求厚薄宽窄如一，而且用沸水煮熟。这样制作而成的蓖箕又叫“熟篦”，其特点坚而不裂，韧而不弯。编结坯篦，不仅要求每根篦齿符合质量要求，而且必须保持齿之间隙，疏密适当，似一模所出。
Changzhou grates are called grates in the north, and their production process is exceptionally meticulous. Starting from splitting bamboo into bamboo strips, it goes through 72 processes, including glueing, filing, inlaying, polishing, carving, drawing, engraving, and ironing. As for the bamboo strips used for making grates, it is necessary to carefully choose a thin layer of "bamboo green" between the bamboo skin and the bamboo flesh, with a uniform thickness and width, and boil them in boiling water. The sieve made in this way, also known as the "cooked sieve", is characterised by being firm but not cracked, tough but not bent. The braided blank grate requires not only that each grate tooth meet the quality requirements but also that the gap between the teeth must be maintained, with proper density, similar to that produced by the first mock examination.
04
传承保护
Changzhou
常州梳篦的制作工艺之精、水平之高，在中国历史上是可以考证的。梳格守“天然材料，手工制作”之特色，以选料精细、工艺考究著称。
常州梳篦不仅广泛销售于国内各大城市，而且畅销美、英、法等二十多个国家的地区。在国外，有人把常州的梳篦挂在胸前，以示夸耀。
受大环境影响，常州梳篦发展困难，处境堪忧，关键的制作技艺濒临失传，急需抢救保护
The exquisite craftsmanship and high level of Changzhou comb production can be verified in Chinese history. Shuge Shou is known for its natural materials and handmade craftsmanship and is renowned for its fine selection of materials and exquisite craftsmanship.
Changzhou combs are not only widely sold in major cities in China but also sell well in more than 20 countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Abroad, some people hang Changzhou combs on their chests to show off.
Affected by the overall environment, the development of Changzhou combs is difficult, and the situation is worrying. The key production techniques are on the brink of extinction and urgently need to be rescued and protected.
END
