Zhoushan craftsman wins Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage

Cen Guohe, inheritor of traditional Chinese wooden sailboat craftsmanship in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, won the Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage on April 22, local media reported.

"This award recognizes me as a shipbuilder and gives me the strength to continue with it," Cen said with excitement.

Cen, who studied shipbuilding as a child, is a fourth-generation shipbuilder. Since 1990, when his great-grandfather started the Cen Family Shipbuilding Workshop, his family has specialized in traditional wooden sailing vessels.

The workshop is reviving old and local techniques by restoring ancient ships and making small- and large-scale replicas of historic vessels. So far, Cen's family has built more than 20 medium and large-sized ancient wooden vessels and 100 pieces of ship models with age-old techniques, which are displayed at museums not only in China, but also in the United States, Japan and Singapore.

"I hope that I can have the opportunity to cooperate with Sharjah Institute for Heritage in the future and introduce our respective shipbuilding skills to each other," Cen said.

Launched in April 2017, Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage aims to honor storytellers and heritage bearers who are conscious of preserving, promoting and protecting cultural heritages of Arab countries and the world.

Cen Guohe receives Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage from His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, at the headquarters of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, on April 25. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]