VOA慢速英语--赫哲族鱼皮服装濒临消亡

The Hezhen are one of China's smallest ethnic¹ minority groups. Early Hezhen people developed methods for making clothes, bedding and thread out of fish skin. For that reason, they became known in China as the "Fish Skin Tribe²."

But today, the tradition is dying.

You Wenfeng is one of the few people in her community carrying on the tradition.

She was not yet born when her people were sent to labor³ camps during Japan's occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s and 1940s.

You, who is 68, told Reuters reporters that many Hezhen died in the camps. But her mother survived, and she taught her daughter about fish skin.

The Hezhen are native to Siberia. Traditionally, they were hunters and fishers, making their living along rivers.

After World War II, the Hezhen population grew from 300 to 5,000 along the Amur River, also known as the Black Dragon River.

But that population growth did not stop the loss of Hezhen culture, including making clothing from the skin of fish like carp, pike and salmon⁴.

Few young Hezhen wanted to learn the skill. Fish-skin clothing is also not what Hezhen people wear today.

Knowing this, You started to share her knowledge with local Han Chinese women in Tongjiang, where she lives. The quiet city sits near China's northeastern border with Russia.

You's followers⁵ also learn the Yimakan, a kind of storytelling that uses both speech and song in the Hezhen language.

The lessons are not easy. You's followers memorize songs of fishing, hunting and ancient tribal⁶ victories in a language they do not speak.

During a visit by Reuters reporters, You began to sing in her small apartment. She sang of a woman's wish to have a son for her hunter-husband.

Hezhen hunters rode on narrow boats made from birch wood. You described the boats as "swift horses." The Hezhen were so skillful on water that their ancient stories say they came from mermaids⁸.

"When the forests flooded to the treetops, there would be fish everywhere," You said.

These days, fish are bought from the marketplace. And instead of tiger bone and the tissue of deer, a special sewing tool and cotton thread are used.

A piece of clothing for a woman requires 50 fish. For a man, it requires 56, You said.

The first step is to remove the fish's skin and dry it. The skin is then repeatedly passed through wooden "teeth" to soften⁹ it. The process takes a month. Sewing then requires about 20 more days.

Fish leather has inspired some high-end clothing design houses, including Dior and Prada, to use it in their clothes. But the material is still not common.

You says fish skins are "stronger than most skins."

In 2006, Hezhen fish skin clothing was listed by China as intangible cultural heritage¹⁰, which means a special effort is made to preserve the tradition.

Words in This Story

swift – adj. moving or able to move very fast

mermaid⁷ – n. an imaginary sea creature that has a woman's head and body and a fish's tail instead of legs

sewing – gerund. the making or repair of something by using a needle and thread

leather – n. animal skin that is chemically treated to preserve it and that is used in making clothes, shoes, or furniture

intangible – adj. not made of physical substance

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

7 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。

8 mermaids   

n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。 来自辞典例句
• This is why mermaids should never come on land. 这就是为什么人鱼不应该上岸的原因。 来自电影对白

9 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

10 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。