Making copperware, a traditional handicraft

Many coppersmiths must now make a living through other means, as there is little demand for handmade copperware. However, there is a copperware store in Hai'an owned by a skilled coppersmith.

Fifty-five-year-old Shen A'gen comes from a family of coppersmiths and is the family's fifth-generation coppersmith. He started learning the craft when he was 13 years old.

Shen is passionate about making copper products and usually gets up very early to light a fire for casting copper.

Then he puts some broken copper pieces onto a hot cauldron over the fire. After the copper pieces melt into liquid, he pours the boiling copper liquid to a mold. This results in a rough copper product, and Shen will then make some improvements by hammering, carving, and welding to transform it into a piece of art.

The shelves of Shen's copperware store are filled with various handmade copper products, including copper kettles, handwarmers, and copper pans.