The contestants were divided into three groups--the bone-chopping knife group, the dual-purpose chopping and slicing knife group, and the mechanical knife group, with one knife king selected out from each group.

 

The competition was held from May 29 to 30. In the forging process, the contestants strictly followed 52 procedures such as softening materials and forging rough blanks to carefully forge the kitchen knives in their hands. 

 

In the quality competition of kitchen knives, contestants used knives to cut paper, chicken, pork ribs, and even beef bones, wooden strips, and iron strips, fully testing the hardness, toughness, and sharpness of the knives. 

 

Finally, Peng Yajun, Huang Nailiang from Hunan Province, and Liu Bin from Chongqing won the title of “Knife King” in their respective categories. In addition, the competition also selected a number of “forging knife masters”, “forging knife masters”, and “forging knife craftsmen”.

 

The Jiahe Knife Forging Technique is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative project. Jiahe County is also one of the four major bases in China for handmade kitchen knives. 

 

In recent years, the county government has actively promoted the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. 

 

In 2024, the county’s forging industry achieved an industrial output value of approximately 720 million yuan, produced about 1 million tons of castings, and approximately 600,000 hand-forged knives.

 

 

Chinese source: hunantoday