Blacksmith

1. Begin with the table of contents and preface to understand the field methods and the background of each artisan's oral account, then read selected pieces.
2. Mark processes, jargon, and family-transmission clues as you read, for easy later reference and comparison.
3. Read alongside other handicraft oral histories or local gazetteers to compare similarities and differences among materials.
4. No need to finish in one sitting; read one or two oral accounts at a time, leaving room for digestion and reflection.

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.