Wang Wenzhong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wang Wenzhong, Male, Han, from Funan, Anhui, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Willow Weaving (Ⅶ-55). The tradition is documented in Funan, Anhui. Within the regional tradition and school record of Willow Weaving in Funan, Anhui: Huanggang willow weaving is distributed in Huanggang Town and the surrounding area of Funan County, Anhui Province; it is the principal sideline occupation of local farmers, and among the folk sayings in circulation there is the phrase 'weave baskets and make hampers to support your family.' Huanggang willow weaving runs from setting the warps and weaving the base to closing the mouth and finishing the rim in one continuous flow; even the ridge rods and molds used for special purposes are woven from willow. Products fall into two lines: plain-lath weavings of spotless white and colored weavings of brilliant hue. They include trays of all kinds for holding bread, fruit, and sweets, bookshelves for storing books and periodicals, and vases and flower stands for fresh flowers — densely structured, rounded in form, sturdy and durable, and used in every aspect of daily life. In the early years of the Qing dynasty, folk-woven willow goods — willow chests, deep and shallow baskets, sheng and dou measuring vessels, winnowing trays, and poluo (flat round baskets) — were generous in style and sturdy in use, and were once shipped to commercial ports in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for sale. Since the 1950s the locality has held the 'Huanggang Willow Weaving Commodity Exchange Fair' every year, promoting the development of the willow-weaving craft.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Male, Han ethnicity, born in April 1962 in Funan County, Anhui Province. As a boy he was devoted to weaving and was taken as a disciple by Yang Fuyong, a skilled willow weaver. He has a thorough command of the traditional techniques of warp weaving, twist weaving and combined weaving, and has created new methods such as willow combined with reed matting, willow with grass, willow with wood, and mixed stringing with cattail and rush. His use of materials is varied, and the products he weaves and develops are elegant and generous in form, uniting practicality, artistry and visual appeal, and giving the viewer a visual effect of returning to unadorned simplicity that delights the eye. In craft furniture he has applied willow-weaving techniques to develop a product series that has been widely recognised by the market. He founded a willow-weaving enterprise, leading his fellow villagers to prosperity through the craft, and has trained more than two hundred willow-weaving technicians. Within the documented technical tradition of Willow Weaving in Funan, Anhui: Huanggang and its surrounding area are dotted with rivers, lakes, and mudflats; qi willow (Salix integra), which thrives in damp conditions, grows readily there. Historical records state: 'Huaiming abounds in shuijing (water thorn — i.e., qi willow); felled and processed, it is as white as jade and as tough as rattan' (Yingzhou Gazetteer, Zhengde reign of the Ming dynasty). In modern times, Huanggang has held a temple fair on the twenty-eighth day of the third lunar month each year. At the fair, trade in willow-weaving raw materials and products thrives, and it has become a distribution center for willow-woven products known far and wide. Huanggang willow-woven products are hand-woven. The production process is complex, running from setting the warps (shangjing) and weaving the base (pandi) to closing the mouth (shoukou) and finishing the rim (nayan) in essentially one continuous flow; even the ridge rods and molds used for special purposes are themselves woven. Woven products include trays of all kinds for holding bread, fruit, and sweets; bookshelves for storing books and periodicals; and vases and flower stands for fresh flowers — used in every aspect of daily life. There are both plain-lath weavings (guangtiao bian) of spotless white and colored weavings (sebian) of brilliant hue — finely made, densely structured, rounded in form, sturdy, and durable. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Process Steps": Huanggang willow-woven products are hand-woven. The production process is complex, running from setting the warps (shangjing) and weaving the base (pandi) to closing the mouth (shoukou) and finishing the rim (nayan) in essentially one continuous flow; even the ridge rods and molds used for special purposes are themselves woven.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Huanggang willow-woven products are hand-woven. The production process is complex, running from setting the warps (shangjing) and weaving the base (pandi) to closing the mouth (shoukou) and finishing the rim (nayan) in essentially one continuous flow; even the ridge rods and molds used for special purposes are themselves woven.
Core Technique I
Huanggang and its surrounding area are dotted with rivers, lakes, and mudflats;
Core Technique II
qi willow (Salix integra), which thrives in damp conditions, grows readily there.
Core Technique III
Historical records state: 'Huaiming abounds in shuijing (water thorn — i.e., qi willow);
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
He is a national representative bearer of willow weaving (Huanggang willow weaving), a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
In the early years of the Qing dynasty, folk-woven willow goods — willow chests, deep and shallow baskets, sheng and dou measuring vessels, winnowing trays, and poluo (flat round baskets) — were generous in style and sturdy in use, and were once shipped to commercial ports in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for sale. Since the 1950s the locality has held the 'Huanggang Willow Weaving Commodity Exchange Fair' every year, promoting the development of the willow-weaving craft.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Wenzhong | Funan, Anhui | 04-1796 | This page |
| Jiang Chaochun | Guangzong, Hebei | 05-2655 | Other regional school |
| Pan Tongli | Huoqiu, Anhui | 05-2656 | Other regional school |
| Yang Jinbang | Linyishilinshu, Shandong | — | Other regional school |
| Zhang Wanfu | Guan, Hebei | — | Other regional school |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。