Bianduo

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Bianduo, Male, Unspecified, from Rikazedi, Tibet, is a third-batch national representative bearer of Tibetan Bangdiankadian Weaving Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-21). The tradition is documented in Rikazedi, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Bangdiankadian Weaving Craftsmanship in Rikazedi, Tibet: Bangdian and kadian production in the Shigatse region is best known in Gyantse, Kangba, and other places. The Gyantse area has long been the collecting and distributing center for woolen textiles in western Tibet; it shares the same lineage as Jiedexiu in Gonggar, Shannan, but is heavier in pattern. The Gyantse County Bureau of Culture and Tourism is the designated protecting institution for the project. Gyantse kadian are made with hand-carded wool, weaving, and stitched edging—a coarse method that withstands the cold—and can reach widths of more than three meters. As early as the 11th century, in the middle reaches of the Nianchu River (today the area around Bainang County), there was a handmade product called "Wangdan Zhongsi"—that is, the "kadian" (Tibetan carpet). During the Republican period (1912–1949), British merchants once opened small factories and craft schools in Gyantse, and the products were exported to Europe.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Tibetan ethnicity, he was born in February 1950 in Gyantse County, Tibet Autonomous Region. He is a representative bearer of Tibetan Bangdian and Kadian Weaving Craftsmanship, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Fond of Tibetan carpet weaving since childhood, and needing to support his family, he began learning the Gyantse kadian weaving technique at 17 and now has more than fifty years of practical experience. He was the first to bring his own carpet-weaving workshop into a Tibetan carpet factory. To develop Gyantse carpets and carry on carpet production techniques, he has built on the traditional carpet patterns of his people while constantly innovating and aligning with contemporary taste, designing more than one hundred carpet patterns for the Gyantse Carpet Factory. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Bangdiankadian Weaving Craftsmanship in Rikazedi, Tibet: The Tibetan wool-weaving craft has a long history, and its products are most famous for aprons and carpets. The woolen apron commonly used by the Tibetan people is called "bangdian" in the Tibetan language and serves decorative and cold-protection functions. Jiedexiu Town in Gonggar County, Shannan region of Tibet, is the principal producing area of Tibetan aprons, and is thus praised as the "hometown of bangdian". Jiedexiu has produced woolen textiles for more than a thousand years, and aprons for five or six hundred years. Historically, the town had numerous shops, every household owned one or more looms, and the pulu (woolen cloth) woven there was a tribute item for successive dynasties; legend has it that the pulu garments worn by Princess Wencheng were produced in this town. Through generations of transmission and improvement, the woolen textiles of Jiedexiu have developed greatly in variety, pattern, color, and technique. The town today has about 780 households and 2,200 people, and nearly every household produces woolen aprons; the products are renowned not only within China but are also exported to India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Western European countries. Gyantse County in the Shigatse region is the famous home of the Tibetan carpet (called "kadian" in Tibetan). Gyantse carpets, together with Turkish and Persian carpets, are counted among the three great carpets of the world. This region has always been a traditional producing area of Tibetan carpets; its weaving technique has developed considerably and has formed a series of patterns. Since then, building on continuous improvement and innovation in the traditional "kadian" handicraft, the people of Gyantse have developed the distinctive Gyantse carpet. Gyantse "kadian" reflects more than a thousand years of development in Tibetan weaving technique. Its patterns, spinning, dyeing, weaving, and carpet-shearing are all outstanding; it is characterized by a unique weaving technique, bright and harmonious colors, and a soft carpet surface, giving it very high artistic value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The wide Shigatse khaden": Coarser and wider than the Lhasa type, Shigatse khaden reach over three metres and carry border patterns of the eight treasures and meanders. "A regional collecting centre": Shigatse was a western hub where wool, plant dyes and weavers' skills met, giving its patterns a preference distinct from Shannan's. "Aprons at festival": At races, song contests and temple fairs the bangdian is worn with the chuba, adding a decisive band of colour to the festival.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2009, Bianduo was announced in the third batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Bangdiankadian Weaving Craftsmanship, with Rikazedi, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Bangdiankadian Weaving Craftsmanship in Rikazedi, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Rikazedi, Tibet as its declared area, and Jiangzi County Culture and Tourism Bureau as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Bianduo · National Representative Bearer Archive