Wen Shenglan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wen Shenglan, Female, Miao, from Majiang, Guizhou, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-105). The tradition is documented in Majiang, Guizhou. Within the regional tradition and school record of Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship in Majiang, Guizhou: Miao brocade in the Majiang area falls into two lines, brocade cloth and decorative bands: brocade cloth is generally more than one chi wide, while decorative bands vary in width according to use, from five or six centimeters wide to only two or three centimeters, with the length likewise determined by need. The silk yarns are of two kinds, plain and colored, and the colored yarns may come in five colors. Weaving plain cloth requires only two heddles and can generally be done with black and white threads, while brocade weaving requires at least five heddles, with warp and weft interlacing to produce patterns with a strong three-dimensional effect. When weaving, one end of the band is tied to a fixed tree trunk and the other end around the weaver's waist, and the heddle threads are used to pick the warp and weft; generally the weaving is done on the reverse side with the pattern appearing on the front, alternately using threads of red and green, black and white to create an interweaving of colors. Miao brocade is mostly used as fabric for garments, aprons, baby-carrying straps, backpacks, waistbands, and the like; the Majiang County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center undertakes the documentation and transmission of this craft. Miao brocade weaving in Guizhou Province has a history of more than seven hundred years. Before the 1990s, Miao brocade was passed down from generation to generation from mother to daughter and flourished without decline. Brocade patterns mostly derive from production and daily life, dominated by free and flexible decorative motifs with geometric figures as the main body, framed by large diamond shapes. Various patterns and flowers connect with one another and fill the picture; the overall design is regular and compact, full and symmetrical, beautiful and dignified.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wen Shenglan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship in Majiang, Guizhou. Within the documented technical tradition of Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship in Majiang, Guizhou: Miao brocade in Majiang County mainly comes in two types: brocade cloth and decorative bands. Brocade cloth is generally more than one chi wide; decorative bands vary in width according to use, from five or six centimeters wide to only two or three centimeters, with the length likewise determined by need. The silk yarns used in Miao brocade are of two kinds, plain and colored; the colored yarns may come in five colors. Miao brocade in Leishan County is of two kinds, hand-woven and machine-woven, with hand-weaving predominant. The so-called hand-weaving ties one end of the brocade band to a fixed tree trunk and the other end to the weaver's belt, then uses the heddle threads to pick the warp and weft on the brocade band. Weaving plain cloth requires only two heddles and can generally be done with black and white threads; brocade weaving requires at least five heddles, with warp and weft interlacing to produce patterns with a strong three-dimensional effect. Generally, Miao brocade is woven on the reverse side with the pattern appearing on the front, alternately using threads of red and green, black and white to create an interweaving of colors, achieving harmony and unity of the pattern through contrast. Miao brocade is an indispensable item in the lives of the Miao people, mostly used as fabric for garments, aprons, baby-carrying straps, backpacks, waistbands, and the like. Because Miao brocade is entirely hand-woven, which is both time-consuming and laborious, while the younger generation of Miao people like to wear Han-style clothing and are unwilling to wear their own ethnic dress, few people now engage in Miao brocade weaving, and those who love it and are willing to learn are very few. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Weaving on the back, showing on the front": The pattern is worked from the back, so a single wrong pick shows on the face. "Five-heddle weaving": Patterned bands need five or more heddles against two for plain cloth; the extra heddles create the relief. "Cloth and ribbon": Bolt-width cloth makes garments; narrow and wide bands make sashes, headdress and baby carriers.
Weaving on the back, showing on the front
The pattern is worked from the back, so a single wrong pick shows on the face.
Five-heddle weaving
Patterned bands need five or more heddles against two for plain cloth; the extra heddles create the relief.
Cloth and ribbon
Bolt-width cloth makes garments; narrow and wide bands make sashes, headdress and baby carriers.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wen Shenglan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship, with Majiang, Guizhou as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Miao Brocade Weaving Craftsmanship in Majiang, Guizhou: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Majiang, Guizhou as its declared area, and Majiang County Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding 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
Miao brocade weaving in Guizhou Province has a history of more than seven hundred years. Before the 1990s, Miao brocade was passed down from generation to generation from mother to daughter and flourished without decline.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan Ying | Kaili, Guizhou | — | Other regional school |
| Wen Shenglan | Majiang, Guizhou | — | 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。