Bamboo Weaving
01 · Historical Records
The flowered bamboo hat has been spread locally for several hundred years. The Qing-dynasty General Gazetteer of Guangxi records of the Jiaqing reign that “the bamboo hats are extremely fine and closely woven, worn by young women.” During the Republican era, that the region produced “the most exquisite rain hats” (Si'en County Gazetteer) was also recorded in the historical record.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Maonan flowered bamboo hat weaving craft is mainly distributed in the Maonan settlement areas of Shangnan, Zhongnan, and Xianan in the southwest of Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The flowered bamboo hat is called “dingkahua” in the Maonan language (meaning “weaving patterns on the underside of the hat”); it symbolizes auspiciousness and happiness, serves as a love token between young Maonan men and women, and is an indispensable part of the dowry when a local woman marries; it is praised as the “treasure of the Maonan people.” In the past Maonan flowered bamboo hats were mostly used as rain gear; later they became a component of Maonan costume. The selection of materials for Maonan flowered bamboo hats is very particular: because bamboo in early spring is too cold and damp, while strip skin after frost becomes brittle, straight and even jin bamboo and mo (ink) bamboo are usually chosen between the Summer Solstice and the Start of Autumn. When making the strips, the bamboo is first split and cut into slats, then split into flat strips and thin strips; next the two ends of the strips are pried open and combed into fibers, the split strips being as fine as hair, for use in radiating, densely woven cross-patterns. The bamboo strips used to weave flowered bamboo hats are divided into black strips and yellow strips: the black strips are dyed with indigo ink color, and the yellow strips are dyed with juice pressed from gardenia fruits. The basic form of the flowered bamboo hat is a three-dimensional combination of a flat plane and a cone; the woven strip pattern is centered on a five-pointed star, with the surrounding area woven in radiating, overlapping hexagonal rings; after the whole is shaped and fixed it is brushed with a paste made from boiled high-quality tung oil. The hat's shape is dignified, its patterns beautiful, and it is sturdy and durable.
Dingkahua, the token of love
Called dingkahua in Maonan, the hat is a token of love and an indispensable part of a bride's dowry.
Black and yellow splints
Black splints are dyed with indigo and yellow ones with gardenia juice, the weave radiating from a five-pointed star in hexagonal layers.
Cutting bamboo between midsummer and autumn
Spring bamboo is too damp and frosted bamboo too brittle, so the culms are cut between the summer solstice and the start of autumn.
Tan Sujuan restoring the patterns
Born in 1967, Tan Sujuan has spent years recovering the traditional motifs and teaches them in training courses.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Maonan flowered bamboo hat weaving craft is mainly distributed in the Maonan settlement areas of Shangnan, Zhongnan, and Xianan in the southwest of Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is transmitted on a household basis, mostly with elders of the family taking on disciples. Locally, straight and even jin bamboo and mo (ink) bamboo are usually chosen between the Summer Solstice and the Start of Autumn; the bamboo is split and cut into slats, then split into flat strips and thin strips, the two ends pried open and combed into fibers, the split strips being as fine as hair, for use in radiating, densely woven cross-patterns. Because the strips are extremely fine and the patterns complex, a single flowered bamboo hat often takes several days to weave; when finished it is brushed with a paste made from boiled high-quality tung oil.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Shengzhou Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving · Bamboo Weaving.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Tan Sujuan (from the official archive record of the associated inheritor): Female, Maonan ethnicity, born in September 1967, from Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She is a representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the national intangible cultural heritage project “Bamboo Weaving (Maonan Flowered Bamboo Hat Weaving Craft).” Master of Arts and Crafts of Guangxi. For many years she has devoted herself to recovering and organizing the traditional patterns of the Maonan flowered bamboo hat; she skillfully uses bamboo and rattan weaving to shape the hat into a form subtly combining a bronze drum with a cone, and excels especially at weaving patterns such as joined hearts, auspicious birds, flowers blooming in all four seasons, and fish leaping over the dragon gate. She actively works on transmitting the craft, teaching at training courses for many years; several of her apprentices have become provincial- and municipal-level representative inheritors. She has participated many times in arts and crafts competitions and exhibition events in Guangxi and nationwide, winning awards.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yu Zhanggen 01-0119
- He Fuli 03-1265
- Song Zengli 03-1266
- Mou Bingheng 03-1267
- Liu Jiafeng 04-1794
- Su Chengjun 05-2640
- Chen Qinghe 05-2641
- Tian Xianmin 05-2642
- Wei Lumian 05-2643
- Tan Sujuan 05-2644
- Chen Yunhua 05-2645
- Zhao Sijin 05-2646
- Ding Zhiyun
- Hu Zhengren
- Lvcheng
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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