Lan Yanlan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Lan Yanlan, Female, She, from Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Caidaibianzhijiyi (Ⅷ-247). The tradition is documented in Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Caidaibianzhijiyi in Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang: She ribbons have a strong ethnic and local character and are a vivid testimony to the cultural blending between the Central Plains and the regions of the south. The She ribbon-weaving craft has a long history. According to historical records, the She people migrated to Jingning during the Tang dynasty and gradually began weaving ribbons in their spare time outside of farm work.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Lan Yanlan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Caidaibianzhijiyi in Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Caidaibianzhijiyi in Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang: The She ribbon, also known as the "Shanha ribbon" or "character ribbon", is a traditional hand-woven article of the She people. The weaving craft is mainly found in the She villages and hamlets of Jingning She Autonomous County in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, with Dongnong, Gangshi, Anting and other villages as its main distribution areas, extending into the surrounding region. Jingning She Autonomous County lies at the southern tip of Zhejiang Province. Its territory is a place of layered mountains and deep ravines, and the She people commonly grow ramie that can be harvested three times a year, providing abundant raw material for the ribbon-weaving craft. The craft uses hand-spun cotton yarn or ramie as its main raw materials, and silk thread is also used for weaving. The process consists mainly of selecting the frame, setting up the rods, fitting the frame, arranging the threads, warping, making the hand loops, making the heddles, mounting on the loom, weaving the band, weaving the pattern and picking out the figured design. She ribbons carry both characters and decorative patterns, bearing meanings of worship, warding off evil and invoking blessings. The patterns usually include the butterfly flower, water-bamboo flower, copper-coin flower and character flower. The types of ribbon are distinguished by the number of warp threads woven, mainly 71, 50, 35, 25, 19, 13 and 7 threads. Woven works are classified by weave pattern or material into silk ribbons, flower ribbons, character ribbons and so on. The She ribbon is an indispensable article for the She people: it serves as a costume ornament and can also be used as a practical item of daily life such as a waistband or a carrying strap, and it is moreover a token of love between young She men and women and an auspicious object for warding off evil and giving blessings. It is characterized by the pictorialization of belief and the integration of craft into daily life. The ribbon is an important measure of a She woman's skill and dexterity and a love token given to a sweetheart; the weaving craft is part of She women's lives, and She girls learn to weave ribbons from childhood. Today the She ribbon has become a cultural symbol and a calling card of Jingning's She township. Display at major festivals, sales of cultural-tourism products and its use on She costumes are important channels for transmitting and spreading the ribbon-weaving craft. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Frame, heddle rods and warping": The frame is chosen to the width of the band, heddle rods are set and the warp threads are strung across the frame at the density the pattern requires; if the positions are wrong the pattern will never match. "Warp preparation, heddle and tie-up": The warp is straightened and divided into the required strands, its ends are bound, and selected warp threads are threaded through the heddles and linked to the treadles, so that lifting and pressing later answer to the foot. "Weaving characters by pattern picking": The characters are not embroidered but picked out course by course as the warp rises and falls, so the weaver must hold the shape of each character in mind and count the threads; one mistake ruins the whole band. "Bands graded by warp count": Bands are graded by the number of warp threads — seventy-one, fifty, thirty-five, twenty-five, nineteen, thirteen or seven — more threads meaning a wider band and a richer pattern; silk, flower and character bands differ in weave and material.
Frame, heddle rods and warping
The frame is chosen to the width of the band, heddle rods are set and the warp threads are strung across the frame at the density the pattern requires; if the positions are wrong the pattern will never match.
Warp preparation, heddle and tie-up
The warp is straightened and divided into the required strands, its ends are bound, and selected warp threads are threaded through the heddles and linked to the treadles, so that lifting and pressing later answer to the foot.
Weaving characters by pattern picking
The characters are not embroidered but picked out course by course as the warp rises and falls, so the weaver must hold the shape of each character in mind and count the threads; one mistake ruins the whole band.
Bands graded by warp count
Bands are graded by the number of warp threads — seventy-one, fifty, thirty-five, twenty-five, nineteen, thirteen or seven — more threads meaning a wider band and a richer pattern; silk, flower and character bands differ in weave and material.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Lan Yanlan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Caidaibianzhijiyi, with Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Caidaibianzhijiyi in Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Jingning She Autonomous County Wen WuHeFeiYi 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
The She ribbon-weaving craft has a long history. According to historical records, the She people migrated to Jingning during the Tang dynasty and gradually began weaving ribbons in their spare time outside of farm work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lan Yanlan | Lishuishijingningshezuzizhi, 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。