Wang Hesheng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wang Hesheng, Male, Han, from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Lanjiaxiejiyi (Ⅷ-192). The tradition is documented in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Lanjiaxiejiyi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: The spatial distribution of blue clamp-resist is centered on Wenzhou and radiates to adjoining areas such as Taizhou and Lishui; it is the only surviving resist-dyeing category among the four xie whose main motif is operatic figures. After the Yuan and Ming, the colors of jiaxie gradually receded and it turned to a single blue, and the only branch to truly survive was this southern-Zhejiang one—so the dyehouses that once spread across the counties (cities, districts) of Wenzhou became the sole carrier of the craft. After these dyehouses closed down one by one in the 1970s, farmers in Cangnan reopened dyehouses and operated them intermittently, and thus Cangnan, Ruian, and Yueqing became the three present-day pillars of its transmission. It uses a dye liquor made from indigo (prepared from the plant of isatis root, a Chinese medicinal herb); its principal motifs are plots from Kunqu, luantan, and Peking opera that circulated from the late Qing through the Republican period, supplemented by auspicious motifs of flowers, birds, insects, and beasts. It is thus the sole surviving example among China's traditional dyed-and-woven textiles whose main motif is operatic figures. After the blue clamp-resist dyehouses that once spread across all the counties (cities, districts) of Wenzhou closed down one after another in the 1970s, farmers in Cangnan opened dyehouses and operated them intermittently, having a positive effect on the transmission and protection of the craft.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wang Hesheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Lanjiaxiejiyi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Lanjiaxiejiyi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Blue clamp-resist (lan jiaxie) is one of the four traditional Chinese resist-dyeing ("four xie") techniques, and is the fountainhead of Chinese block-printed dyeing and printing. Jiaxie (clamp-resist) arose in the Qin and Han and flourished in the Tang and Song; Emperor Ming of Tang once presented it as a national gift to the envoy missions from various countries sent to the Tang court. By the Yuan and Ming, jiaxie turned toward a single blue color, and in the end survived only in southern Zhejiang, centered on Wenzhou and radiating to adjoining parts of Taizhou and Lishui. Blue clamp-resist was once an essential item in folk weddings of southern Zhejiang. To this day Wenzhou preserves intact the craft sequence of block-carving, indigo-making, and printing-dyeing. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Documented Process Records": To this day Wenzhou preserves intact the craft sequence of block-carving, indigo-making, and printing-dyeing. "Preparing the indigo dye": Indigo from the indigo plant is fermented into a dye liquor; success at this stage decides whether the printed cloth comes out even. "Carving the drama onto the blocks": Scenes popular in the late Qing and Republic period are cut into printing blocks, whose compositions are often whole stage scenes. "Pair-block clamping": Block and cloth are aligned and clamped before the dye is scraped in; the motif emerges identically on both faces, the hallmark of jie xie.
Documented Process Records
To this day Wenzhou preserves intact the craft sequence of block-carving, indigo-making, and printing-dyeing.
Preparing the indigo dye
Indigo from the indigo plant is fermented into a dye liquor; success at this stage decides whether the printed cloth comes out even.
Carving the drama onto the blocks
Scenes popular in the late Qing and Republic period are cut into printing blocks, whose compositions are often whole stage scenes.
Pair-block clamping
Block and cloth are aligned and clamped before the dye is scraped in; the motif emerges identically on both faces, the hallmark of jie xie.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wang Hesheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Lanjiaxiejiyi, with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Lanjiaxiejiyi in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Wenzhou 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
It uses a dye liquor made from indigo (prepared from the plant of isatis root, a Chinese medicinal herb); its principal motifs are plots from Kunqu, luantan, and Peking opera that circulated from the late Qing through the Republican period, supplemented by auspicious motifs of flowers, birds, insects, and beasts. It is thus the sole surviving example among China's traditional dyed-and-woven textiles whose main motif is operatic figures. After the blue clamp-resist dyehouses that once spread across all the counties (cities, districts) of Wenzhou closed down one after another in the 1970s, farmers in Cangnan opened dyehouses and operated them intermittently, having a positive effect on the transmission and protection of the 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 Hesheng | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | — | 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。