[Video/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Mending porcelain with cramps is an ancient handicraft skill in China that has had close relations with the development of porcelain making in the country.

In old times, people were not willing to throw away broken bowls, pots, and jars. Under the deft hand of a mender, these broken vessels could be mended to be as good as new.

With improvements in modern life, such ancient handicraft skills are disappearing and it is quite unexpected to encounter a young man in his 20s engaged in mending porcelain with cramps.

Xu Genfan mends a vat with cramps. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Mender Xu Genfan learned the handicraft skill from his grandfather who was a renowned mender in Qingdun village, Hai'an, East China's Jiangsu province.

Xu understands that people now would not bring a broken bowl to him for mending. Therefore, he says that he needs to improve handicrafts through aesthetic restoration, beautifying the mended articles.

Gradually, Xu's skill helped him gain a reputation and people from other cities would come to him for help.

To promote such an ancient skill, Xu records videos of his mending procedures and uploads them to Douyin, a short-video platform.

"Through my skills, I am devoted to restoring the beauty of crafts," said Xu.