Zhao Xixiang
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhao Xixiang, Male, Han, from Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huabian Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-246). The tradition is documented in Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huabian Making Craftsmanship in Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang: In its development it combined with the local folk custom of worshipping the stars and begging for skill (jixing qiqiao), giving it a strong local folk character. Xiaoshan lace products are exported in considerable volume, which has both driven the local economy and played an important role in cultural exchange with foreign countries and in promoting rural revitalization. During the Republican period, embroidery (tiaohua) factories gradually developed. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Xiaoshan lace-making technique entered a flourishing period; the number of women lace workers reached more than 200,000 at its height, and many products were sold overseas.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhao Xixiang is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huabian Making Craftsmanship in Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Huabian Making Craftsmanship in Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang: Xiaoshan lace, also known as "wanlusi" (ten-thousand-thread silk), is a drawn-work embroidery craft formed on the basis of folk embroidery; it is named for being abundantly produced in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, and its making technique is distributed throughout all 22 towns (subdistricts) of Xiaoshan. Xiaoshan District lies in northern Zhejiang Province and has a subtropical monsoon humid climate. Its northern part is mainly formed by silt deposited by the tides of the Qiantang River and is also called "shadi" (sand land); it is a major producing and distributing area for silk cocoons and cotton. The Kanshan area of Xiaoshan is the birthplace of the Xiaoshan lace-making technique and also the main production area for Xiaoshan lace. The Xiaoshan lace-making technique differs from both embroidery and drawn-thread work: it ingeniously "picks out" a great variety of patterns and then connects them with the distinctive pangfu (side-support) motifs, such as six-foot, tortoise-back, eight-foot, chrysanthemum, fennel, coin, eight-foot chrysanthemum circle, six-foot single ring, and eight-foot multiple ring, thereby completing a fine piece of lace. Xiaoshan lace is characterized by openwork and falls mainly into two categories: wanlusi (pure cotton-thread work) and bordered lace (a combination of wanlusi and fabric embroidery). It is noted for ingenious design, delicate composition, and superb stitching. The range of products is rich, including bedspreads, table covers, plate mats, tea-table mats, sofa covers, piano covers, shawls, dresses, and more. The Xiaoshan lace-making technique generally falls into the four process stages of design, brushing and matching, picking and embroidering, and finishing and pressing, comprising more than 20 links; a large work must be picked and woven collectively by hundreds or even thousands of people. As the technique was continuously innovated and improved, eight major methods gradually developed: attaching, picking, winding, pulling, bordering, wrapping, buttoning, and carving. There are also more than 30 stitches, including solid stitch, transformed three-stitch, removed four-stitch, thread stringing, mesh eye, snake-skin stitch, piled thread, small-button stitch, field stitch, nail stitch, and wrapped-flower stitch, with special emphasis on variation of stitch in the knotting. Folk embroidery has a long history in Xiaoshan, and at the end of the Qing dynasty it absorbed European lace-weaving craft, forming a distinctive technical system. The Xiaoshan lace-making technique is the product of the fusion of China's ancient folk embroidery craft with European folk embroidery, and is a vehicle and witness of cultural and economic exchange between China and foreign countries. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Records of Process Steps": The Xiaoshan lace-making technique generally falls into the four process stages of design, brushing and matching, picking and embroidering, and finishing and pressing, comprising more than 20 links; a large work must be picked and woven collectively by hundreds or even thousands of people.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The Xiaoshan lace-making technique generally falls into the four process stages of design, brushing and matching, picking and embroidering, and finishing and pressing, comprising more than 20 links; a large work must be picked and woven collectively by hundreds or even thousands of people.
Core Technique I
Xiaoshan lace, also known as "wanlusi" (ten-thousand-thread silk), is a drawn-work embroidery craft formed on the basis of folk embroidery;
Core Technique II
it is named for being abundantly produced in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, and its making technique is distributed throughout all 22 towns (subdistricts) of Xiaoshan.
Core Technique III
Xiaoshan District lies in northern Zhejiang Province and has a subtropical monsoon humid climate.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhao Xixiang was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huabian Making Craftsmanship, with Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huabian Making Craftsmanship in Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Hangzhoushixiaoshan, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Hangzhou Xiaoshan District Cultural Center (Hangzhou Xiaoshan District 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
During the Republican period, embroidery (tiaohua) factories gradually developed. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Xiaoshan lace-making technique entered a flourishing period; the number of women lace workers reached more than 200,000 at its height, and many products were sold overseas.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao Xixiang | Hangzhoushixiaoshan, 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。