Knife sharpeners used to be a common sight. Photo: CFP

Beijingers born before the 1980s should be familiar with the sight of a man on a very loud bicycle riding down the street, offering to sharpen knives and scissors. With the advent of stainless knives and other modern conveniences, their services have been less and less necessary, but a person might still be lucky enough to encounter someone like Liu, a 67-year-old knife sharpener who still plies his trade through the city's hutong.

How long have you been doing this and why?

It has been more than three decades since I set my foot in this field. I chose this purely to make a living, as I have no other particular skills besides this.

Many of my counterparts quit the field, but like I said, if I had any other skills I might not still be doing this.

Did you need to train with a master to learn to do this job?

You bet. You don't see this as a simple easy work. In order to master it you need to have a master first to instruct you step by step.

I learned this from scratch from a man who had been doing this long before 1949 as the senior in the field. He wouldn't accept everyone who wanted to be his students, because of the old saying that "if the apprentice masters what he learns from his master, then the master will lose his job."

The whole thing he taught me is basically repeating the same movements of grinding over and over again. Sharpening a knife is easier than sharpening scissors, as for the scissors you need to make sure that the two edges of the scissors are not only sharp but also well fit to each other when you close it in order to cut soft things like string or paper.

Also, in order to sharpen the edges, you need know how to polish it on the grindstone, which is fixed on a wheel with a handle to control its speed.

What equipment do you need to sharpen knives and scissors?

As you can see, I need two grindstones and a wooden bench. One grindstone is for sharpening and the other is for polishing. Also a bucket of water for dipping the knife or scissors while grinding.

You also need a bundle of iron pieces to make sound so people can hear you coming down the street. Some people use electronic horns now, but the string of iron pieces is the symbol of our occupation.

What do you think about the disappearing sharpening industry?

It's just that in the old days I could earn several yuan per day, which was already quite enough for me to spend at that time as the living cost was not as high as today.

Nowadays, I may get about five yuan or more for one knife or scissor grinding, but I could hardly make 100 yuan in two days. It has become more and more difficult for the people like us to live in this high living cost Beijing.

Besides, the stainless knives and scissors are that have gotten popular don't become blunt as easily as iron ones. And some people are sharpening things themselves, or just buying new ones. But some small restaurants have a bunch of things that need to be sharpened regularly and are still our faithful customers.

What changes have you witnessed on your job?

In the old days when I started, there were no lack of business opportunities, as every family had their blunt knives and scissors that needed to be sharpened.You might have several chances to be stopped by residents who wanted your service. Now you might have to walk for half a day without having one person stop you for sharpening.