Wei Lumian

01 · Lineage & Regional School

From childhood he studied under Xie Changgeng, Gong Dihua and Yuan Yangqiu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Bamboo Weaving in Yiyang, Hunan: The local people made use of the native bamboo to make various implements from very early times: bamboo implements have already been found among the artifacts of the Neolithic Daxi culture site excavated at Tujiatai in Nan County, Yiyang. Yiyang Chaoyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Craft Co., Ltd. is the project’s protection unit; Wei Lumian established a transmission institute and a museum and participated in founding a training base for the promotion of xiaoyu bamboo craft. The local history of using bamboo is extremely early: bamboo implements have been found among the artifacts of the Neolithic Daxi culture site excavated at Tujiatai in Nan County, Yiyang; by the Qing dynasty, Yiyang was already the “City of Bamboo Ware” famous throughout Jiangnan, and bamboo-made implements covered almost every aspect of production and daily life. After years of evolution and development, by “the early years of the Ming dynasty, bamboo ware in Yiyang had already become a trade, with practitioners spread throughout urban and rural areas and products visible on every street and in every alley” (Gazetteer of Yiyang City). In the Qing dynasty, Yiyang was already the “City of Bamboo Ware” famous throughout Jiangnan; the water-bamboo cool mats of Maozhu Lake, the xiaoyu bamboo ware of Hejia Bridge, and the bamboo-ribbed paper umbrellas of Sanli Bridge were acclaimed the “Three Wonders of the Bamboo City.” During the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty, xiaoyu bamboo craft began to be exported to England, France, and other countries.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Han ethnicity, born in September 1963 in Yiyang County, Hunan Province. He is a senior arts and crafts artist. He completed the all-bamboo decorative design of the theatre at the Yiyang Grand Theatre, the miniature Chinese garden landscape and the overall design of the Wind-and-Rain Corridor at the Yiyang Museum; his bamboo slat zither and Go table are held in the collection of the Hunan Provincial Arts and Crafts Museum. He has established a training institute and a museum, helped found training bases, and widely publicized Xiaoyu bamboo craft in order to extend its social influence. Within the documented technical tradition of Bamboo Weaving in Yiyang, Hunan: Yiyang xiaoyu bamboo craft refers to small bamboo articles and implements made using traditional techniques such as joining, inlaying, and mortise-and-tenon fitting. “Yu” is a Yiyang dialect term referring to a process in which bamboo components are heated and bent so as to meet the needs of a given form. Yiyang lies in the north-central part of Hunan Province; its soil is fertile, its rainfall abundant, and its climate suitable, and its bamboo resources are extremely rich. In the past hundred years it has won gold and silver awards more than eighty times at various exhibitions at home and abroad. Xiaoyu bamboo craft is particular about the selection of materials: generally, gang (ma) bamboo with a diameter of less than 5 centimeters is used to make the frames, while mao bamboo is used to make the components. In the making of bamboo articles, more than thirty processing steps—including material selection, material cutting, oil scorching, and yu-bending—are required before the article is completed. Yiyang xiaoyu bamboo craft has handsome forms, fine workmanship, and lasting durability. Locally, articles made using bamboo cover almost every aspect of production and daily life. “Yu” is a Yiyang dialect term referring to the process of heating and bending bamboo components so as to meet the needs of a given form; oil scorching and yu-bending are the two key steps that determine the curvature and strength of an article. Xiaoyu bamboo craft is quite particular about the selection of materials: frames are generally made of gang (ma) bamboo with a diameter of less than 5 centimeters, while components are made of mao bamboo, and more than thirty processing steps—including material selection, material cutting, oil scorching, and yu-bending—are required before an article is finished; because the articles are joined by joining, inlaying, and mortise-and-tenon fitting, with few nails or glue used throughout, they are durable once completed. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Working Procedures": In the making of bamboo articles, more than thirty processing steps—including material selection, material cutting, oil scorching, and yu-bending—are required before the article is completed. "Bending and oil-firing": The craft joins bamboo by splicing, inlay and mortise, the local word yu meaning to bend the heated material into shape. "The all-bamboo theatre decoration": Born in 1963, Wei Lumian designed the all-bamboo decoration of the Yiyang Grand Theatre and the museum's miniature garden and covered walkway.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a representative bearer of Bamboo Weaving (Yiyang Xiaoyu Bamboo Craft), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. His works have appeared many times at national and provincial intangible cultural heritage expos, cultural festivals and similar events, winning more than forty gold, silver and bronze awards.

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. Wei Lumian · National Representative Bearer Archive