Zhu Mulan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhu Mulan, Female, Han, from Chengdushixindou, Sichuan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Palm Weaving (Ⅶ-97). The tradition is documented in Chengdushixindou, Sichuan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Palm Weaving in Chengdushixindou, Sichuan: Xinfan palm weaving circulates through the townships of Xinfan, Longqiao, and Banzhuyuan in Xindu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and is most concentrated in the villages of Gongyi, Jinshui, Qushui, Tonglian, and Shiyun under Xinfan Town. The Xinfan area lies in the heartland of the Chengdu Plain, in the gravity-irrigated zone of Dujiangyan; the climate is mild and humid, palm trees grow in front of and behind houses, and the women weave vessels and utensils from locally available materials, gradually forming a local style different from other palm-fiber weaving in western Sichuan. The Xinfan palm-weaving technique is said to have originated in the Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty. According to documentary records, by the end of the Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty the women of Xinfan already had the tradition of “splitting young palm leaves into threads and weaving sandals”.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhu Mulan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Palm Weaving in Chengdushixindou, Sichuan. Within the documented technical tradition of Palm Weaving in Chengdushixindou, Sichuan: The Xinfan palm-weaving technique is mainly popular in the villages of Gongyi, Jinshui, Qushui, Tonglian, and Shiyun under Xinfan Town, Xindu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and is a folk handicraft with local characteristics. In local villages and farmhouse courtyards, one can everywhere see women weaving handicraft products from white, fine palm fiber. Summer and autumn are each the peak production seasons for Xinfan palm weaving: in summer, mainly straw hats and slippers are produced, while in autumn, woven palm-fiber handbags are made. The raw materials for Xinfan palm weaving mostly come from the mountainous areas of Pengxian, Dayi, Qionglai, and Dujiangyan. Each April, the artisans comb the green young palm leaves they have gathered with rows of needles, turning them into strands of palm fiber resembling green hanging noodles. The palm fiber is then twisted into palm rope, and through process steps such as steaming, bleaching, and sun-drying it is made into white, soft material ready for use; at the same time, part of the fiber is dyed, for the special decoration of woven articles. Xinfan palm weaving has three main manual techniques. The first is the “pepper-eye” technique: warp threads of palm fiber arranged at equal distances are crossed to form diamonds, two weft threads are then passed through the four corners of each diamond, and so on in turn, weaving beautiful, regular patterns like paper-cut window flowers. The second is the close-weaving method: the artisan weaves densely, using a repeating method of identical spacing and equal intervals; this method is mostly used for weaving products such as shoes and fans. The third is the “herringbone” (ren-character) weaving method: the pattern shaped like the Chinese character “ren” (person) is used to design or control the warp-and-weft direction or composition of the weaving; this method is usually used in weaving daily-use items such as hats and mats, and has a handsome, decorous quality. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of the Process Steps": The palm fiber is then twisted into palm rope, and through process steps such as steaming, bleaching, and sun-drying it is made into white, soft material ready for use; at the same time, part of the fiber is dyed, for the special decoration of woven articles.
Archival Record of the Process Steps
The palm fiber is then twisted into palm rope, and through process steps such as steaming, bleaching, and sun-drying it is made into white, soft material ready for use; at the same time, part of the fiber is dyed, for the special decoration of woven articles.
Core Technique I
The Xinfan palm-weaving technique is mainly popular in the villages of Gongyi, Jinshui, Qushui, Tonglian, and Shiyun under Xinfan Town, Xindu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and is a folk handicraft with local characteristics.
Core Technique II
In local villages and farmhouse courtyards, one can everywhere see women weaving handicraft products from white, fine palm fiber.
Core Technique III
Summer and autumn are each the peak production seasons for Xinfan palm weaving: in summer, mainly straw hats and slippers are produced, while in autumn, woven palm-fiber handbags are made.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhu Mulan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Palm Weaving, with Chengdushixindou, Sichuan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Palm Weaving in Chengdushixindou, Sichuan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Chengdushixindou, Sichuan as its declared area, and Chengdu Xindou District Cultural Center 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
Historical origin
The Xinfan palm-weaving technique is said to have originated in the Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty. According to documentary records, by the end of the Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty the women of Xinfan already had the tradition of “splitting young palm leaves into threads and weaving sandals”.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhu Mulan | Chengdushixindou, Sichuan | — | This page |
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。