Bamboo weaving: a traditional skill passed down from generation to generation

Bamboo weaving is a handicraft that uses mountain bamboo to split into strips or threads, which are then woven into various utensils and handicrafts. This craft not only possesses great practical value but also boasts a rich historical heritage. Historically, the bamboo weaving industry operated in workshops, often relying on a master-apprentice relationship, either passed down from generation to generation or supported by the workshop. After completing their training, apprentices would establish their own business, recruiting new apprentices and passing on the skills through oral and hands-on instruction. Bamboo weaving is typically used to make household items and agricultural tools.

On June 7, 2008, bamboo weaving was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the second batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Historical Origins

As a traditional Chinese handicraft, bamboo weaving can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. After humans began to settle down, they engaged in simple agriculture and animal husbandry. Any surplus food from harvested rice, millet, and hunted animals was stored for future use.

At this time, they used local materials, using various tools such as stone axes and knives to chop branches from plants and weave them into baskets and other utensils. During the Shang Dynasty, bamboo and rattan weaving patterns became increasingly diverse. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bamboo utilization expanded, and bamboo weaving gradually developed into a craft. By the Song Dynasty, bamboo weaving had become extremely popular.

During the mid-Ming Dynasty, bamboo weaving's uses further expanded, with weaving becoming increasingly sophisticated. It was also combined with other crafts such as lacquerware, resulting in the creation of numerous high-quality bamboo vessels.

During the Qing Dynasty, especially after the Qianlong Emperor's reign, bamboo weaving flourished.

After the 1950s, bamboo weaving art began to formally become part of the arts and crafts industry, entering the realm of art.

Main Types

A folk craft common throughout southern China. Southern my country boasts a rich variety of bamboo species, including bamboos like bamboo, water bamboo, bamboo, bamboo, and moso bamboo, among approximately 200 others. Working people used bamboo to make furniture and weave items, creating a variety of weaving techniques with distinct artistic characteristics. Commonly used techniques include:

1. Braiding, which involves interweaving bamboo strands and strips through a process of picking and pressing to create the warp and weft.

2. Flowering, which involves shaping and decorating bamboo joints.

3. Inlay, which involves using the surface or cross-sections of bamboo to create flower patterns or utensils.

4. Beading, which involves threading bamboo joints into small sections and then threading them together.

5. Spring-turning, which involves processing bamboo springs into various utensils.

Today, traditional bamboo weaving, while adhering to ancient methods, incorporates modern design concepts, maintaining its practical value while also integrating into the lives of more people as works of art.

This intangible cultural heritage, imbued with millennia of wisdom and ingenuity, like the flexible bamboo strips, continues to weave new chapters through the warp and weft of time, keeping the cultural roots of the Chinese nation alive through inheritance and innovation.