Chongqing- China is a big country, boasting its various kinds of delicious food. As an old saying goes, food is the first necessity of people, which is applicable throughout the country. Chinese chefs can make a living anywhere only with a kitchen knife and their superb knife skills. At each grand banquet, we can not only taste the delicious food but also directly observe the chef’s excellent knife skills. The knife earns the chef a living, while the exquisite food made by the knife earns the chef's reputation. The knife, apparently, would not just be an ordinary one.

Longshui, a small town in Dazu District, Chongqing, is the home to different sorts of knives and well-known all over the country. A good Longshui knife must be repeatedly sharpened by the grinding machine, and it has to be checked against the light to ensure its flatness. Longhui knife is noted for its “thick back and thin blade”. The sound of hammering, which has been heard for the past millennium, is a legacy of traditional forging techniques as well as a guarantee for each and every Longshui knife. It is said that as soon as you enter the town, you will see a large banner with some big characters on it – everything can be cut by Longshui knife, except love. From this slogan, we can feel how powerful the Longshui knife is.

Longshui knife is one of the three treasures in the Dazu district. Longshui town has been regarded as one of the three major production bases of hardware in China, alongside Yongkang county in Zhejiang province and Yangjiang city in Guangdong province. Famous for its forging techniques, the Longshui knife is also included in the list of Chongqing's intangible cultural heritage.

In 1992, Deng Xiaoping wanted to buy some household Longshui kitchen knives, and then the Deng Family, the representative inheritor of Longshui knife, made 10 knives for him, including kitchen knife, chef knife, chopping knife, and so on. Deng Xiaoping was very satisfied with these knives, which featured the thick back, thin blade, empty interior, sharp edge, and shiny surface. Deng Xiaoping buying Dengs’ knives become an anecdote for a while.

Longshui kitchen knife is no different from the ordinary one in appearance. Many people’s first impression of the Longshui knife is heavy and blunt, not knowing how to use it. In fact, those who have used it will find they expected wrong. The thick back indeed will cost people a little effort at first, but the heavier body means the greater kinetic energy, which is eventually more effort-saving than a lighter one. The design that the center of gravity is placed on the back makes it possible to wield it like a whip, which is a good way to avoid the problem of unwieldiness. With its simple design but multiple functions, Chinese kitchen knives have evolved all the way, following the principal rules of tool-making.

Forged by unique techniques, the Longshui knife, with the advantages of turning trash into treasure, reasonable price, good quality, high utility, multiple functions, and great durability has won the favor of many chefs and housewives. Without being forged by several generations of people with their hands and sweats, the Longshui knife cannot be listed as an intangible cultural heritage. Longhua knife is worthy of praise, but those “Longshui knife artisans” are more worthy of admiration.

(The original article comes with a Chinese version authored by Liu Shanshan and Jing Xi, as well as an English version translated by Wu Liang, Hu Wei and Li Jie, all of whom are students and teachers from Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies.)