Last Falconer - Northeast Eagle Hunter Zhao Family

Author: Cao Baoming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This is a newly completedliterary work by folklorist and writer Cao Baoming, based on his research and interviews conducted over two years in the renowned "Eagle" – Yulou Village. The book vividly and comprehensively records the process of the inheritance and development of Northeast Eagle Hunting culture, as well as the simple yet profound bond between humans and eagles, centered around the eagle hunting history, traditional skills, and modern lifestyle of the Zhao Mingzhe family. Zhao Mingzhe has now been recognized as an outstanding inheritor of the "Sea Eagle Taming" tradition in Chinese folk culture. Despite the inevitable decline of eagle hunting culture, he continues to live an extremely difficult life with eagles, protecting this precious cultural heritage and striving to pass down the memories of his ancestors. In the season when the Cold Dew (Hánlù) in the lunar calendar is approaching, this man named Zhao Mingzhe appears extremely anxious and restless. He counts the number of clouds in the sky every day, observes their thickness, and analyzes the speed at which the wind moves the clouds. The villagers know that he is waiting for the "cao kaitang" – the time when frost falls. In Northeast China, the changes of nature are very distinct, and people often say they "respond to the seasons," especially in autumn. Autumn arrives around the time of the Autumn Equinox, after a few rainy days, the air gradually becomes colder. The wind blows the leaves off the trees, thins the clouds in the sky, and swiftly scatters the patches of clouds. All of this tells people that the time for "cao kaitang" is near. The "cao kaitang" is a harsh season. Often in just one night, the frost can wither all living things, causing leaves to fall, the green color to fade, and the fields to turn yellow. In Northeast China, frost is called "kù shuāng" (cruel frost) or "dú shuāng" (poisonous frost). "Kù" refers to the cruelty of the frost, which comes swiftly, leaving humans and all living creatures unprepared. Often, everything is still lush green the day before or even before a cigarette's worth of time has passed, but in the blink of an eye, the life of natural plants is extinguished – this is the cruelty of frost. "Dú" refers to the ruthlessness of the frost. Nature, especially the grass on the ground, often does not have enough time to seed or mature before it is forever destroyed.