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中文翻译在英文后面。这是在山西永济进行的RCEF 2008 暑期支教项目一系列活动之一。This is one of a series of posts chronicling the RCEF 2008 Summer Volunteer Program. 中文翻译在英文后面。

Today, 38 sixth graders from the SVP at Zhaizi Village took a field trip to a place that is only five minutes away from their school. Despite its proximity, almost none of the students had even heard of it. SVP volunteers Huang Yaxiong, Chen Sijia, Yao Caimei, and Ren Hongyan brought them to their destination: the Women Artisans Handicrafts Workshop. This is a grassroots operation headquartered in Zhaizi Village. It organizes rural women from many surrounding villages to spin thread from their homegrown cotton, dye and weave it into cloth, and eventually produce colorful bags, wallets, shirts, sheets, etc.

The Handicrafts Workshop is part of the regional farmer’s association which was founded by local woman Zheng Bing. (Click here for the inspiring story she shared with RCEF volunteers on the fourth day of training.) The association has members in 35 area villages but most are middle-aged and elderly women who still retain the weaving skills. Most of the sixth graders’ parents are either migrant workers or farmers who did not learn how to weave when they were growing up. Most students in this village know very little about the farmers’ association and its projects.

Today, they toured the handicrafts exhibit in groups. The students also got to see one artisan in action as she wove cloth. Many were shocked by the price tags on the products For example, a cloth book bag is 20 RMB, which is quite a lot by rural standards. Most of the products are sold to stores in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai.

During question and answer time with Zhou Chaoyang, the workshop coordinator, one student asked why the bags were so expensive. “See the clothes you’re wearing today?” he asked. “Those were probably made in a factory. But these products were all made by hand, not machines. It takes a much longer time–twenty steps in all– so that’s why the price is higher too.” Students asked why they made the bags and Zhou explained that the association wanted to preserve and disseminate local culture while also giving rural women extra income. When students asked why there were so many different color bags, Zhou told them about vegetable dye . Many students use vegetable dye to color their nails but they didn’t know it could be used to create so many different colors of cloth. Zhou left them with a challenge: to go back and try dyeing a piece of white cloth using crushed flowers, leaves, and vegetables. He todl them how to do it and said he’d come around and inspect the student’s art work in a few days.

Some students had more questions and said they were very interested in the workshop. Zhou said they were welcome to come back in the future and learn more. 翻译： Subra Huang

今天，参加暑期支教项目（SVP）的38个六年级学生来到一处离他们学校仅5分钟路程的地方进行了实地参观。距离如此之近，很少学生听说过这里。在几个SVP志愿者黄亚雄、陈思嘉、姚彩梅和任红艳的带领下，学生们来到了此行的目的地：红娘手工艺作坊。这是一个总部位于寨子村的基层组织。周围许多村庄的妇女参加，用本地产的棉花纺成线、染上色并织成布，最后做出各色的手袋、钱包、衬衫、床单等。

手工坊属于当地女士郑冰创建的本地农民协会（欲了解她于SVP中讲述的相关故事，请点击此处 ）。该协会的会员来自35个地区村庄，不过大多是保有传统纺织技术的中年或老年妇女。而来访学生的父母大多是出去打工的或年轻时没有学过纺织的农民，所以他们很少知道这个手工艺坊及其活动内容。

今天学生们分组参观了这里的手工艺展，还观看了一位艺术家现场织布。许多学生在看到成品上的价格标签时都吃了一惊，相对农村标准来说，例如一个手提布袋标价20元人民币算是很贵的了。这里大多数产品都卖到香港、北京和上海。

在接下来的问答时间里，手工坊的负责人周朝阳一一回答了学生们的疑问。一个学生问道为什么这里的包价格这么高。他回答说“看看你们今天穿的衣服，多半都是工厂里的机器加工的。而这里的产品都是手工制作的，相比更费时，总共有20来个步骤，这也就是为什么这么贵的原因。”又有学生问为什么他们要选择制作包，周朝阳解释说，协会希望保护并发扬当地文化，同时能为当地农村妇女创造额外收入。学生又问为什么要做如此多不同颜色的包。周朝阳向他们讲解了关于植物制作颜料的原理。很多学生都用植物颜料过染指甲，但他们不知道植物颜料还可以用来做出五颜六色的布料。周朝阳给学生留了个课后作业：回家后使用压碎的花朵、树叶、蔬菜在白布上染出一一些颜色。他还教了做法，并表示过几天要检查同学们的作品。

学生还问了许多其他的问题。他们纷纷表示相当喜欢这个手工坊。周朝阳也欢迎学生们再次回来参观学习。