Apprentices of Zheng Guorong practice sword making at Guyue Sword Studio in Longquan, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 21, 2019. For centuries, Longquan has been famed for its sword making industry. Zheng Guorong, 55, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor in Longquan Sword making, has been making sword for more than 30 years. Zheng regards sword as a symbol of spirit and devotes all to his career with awe. In his studio, the whole process of making a single sword takes two to three months, with steps including forming an idea, designing the sketch, preparing material and the final making and assembling. After setting up his studio, Zheng has trained more than 20 apprentices, who have all become sword smiths of great reputation. The old sword smith insists that Longquan sword, with a history of more than 2,500 years, deserves to be carried on in our time, both materially and spiritually. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)
