Straw Weaving

01 · Historical Records

From the 1840s onward, straw weaving began to be exported abroad. Since the mid-20th century, because it has met the needs of modern life, straw weaving has developed rapidly, with an ever-growing variety of patterns and designs. Muchuan straw dragons have a long history; according to legend their origin is connected with the story of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sleeping on a pillow of rice straw before his accession to the throne. Later generations therefore regarded dragon lanterns woven from rice straw as symbols of good auspice, dancing and playing with them in public to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests in the coming year.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Straw weaving is a traditional knotting and weaving handicraft that uses grasses and other herbaceous plants as its principal raw material. As one of the oldest crafts of humankind, knotting and weaving became an important means for the early people of China to make practical articles as far back as remote antiquity. Straw weaving techniques have circulated among the Chinese people for several thousand years and have been continually carried forward and developed in the process. Folk artisans across the country adapted their work to local conditions and to the qualities of their materials, making full use of the tough stalks, skins, pith, leaves, and roots of herbaceous plants, and creating and distilling a rich repertoire of weaving and knotting techniques — weaving, knotting, braiding, looping, binding, twisting, wrapping, netting, stringing, and coiling — making straw weaving an important source of everyday articles for the common people. Straw-woven products are mainly practical goods such as straw mats, straw curtains, straw cushions, straw baskets, straw fans, straw hats, and straw sandals, though some are ornamental pieces made for display. As a traditional handicraft very widespread among the Chinese people, straw weaving has a broad popular base and strong qualities of both practicality and artistry. The weaving material for Muchuan straw dragons is the finest grade selected from the year's rice straw harvest: golden in color and free of spots on the stalks. The assembly of the straw dragon is very complex; the whole process employs more than ten techniques, including weaving, stitching, setting, coiling, and wrapping, and demands considerable skill. Muchuan straw dragons are exacting in form and structure, with especially ingenious design of the head, body, and tail; details such as the eyes, whiskers, horns, scales, and claws are all rendered vividly and lifelikely, and when danced the dragon is overwhelming in momentum and truly spectacular. The dragon dancers are well-trained, sturdy men; on the occasion they paint their faces in patterns, bare their upper arms, wear straw hats, drape straw shoulder pieces, tie on straw skirts, bind straw leg guards, and put on straw sandals, dancing passionately to the accompaniment of gongs and drums according to the traditional formula, and displaying to the full the exquisite, subtle, marvelous, and spirited character of the Muchuan straw dragon.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

China is rich in herbaceous plant resources, and both north and south have many raw materials suitable for knotting and weaving, so straw weaving exists in a great variety of types from place to place, each with its own local characteristics. Muchuan straw dragons, also called 'yellow dragons' (huanglong), are a folk straw-assemblage craft popular in the area of Muchuan County, Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Muchuan straw dragons, also called 'yellow dragons' (huanglong), are popular in the area of Muchuan County, Leshan, Sichuan. According to legend their origin is connected with the tale of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty sleeping on a pillow of rice straw before his accession; the local people therefore regard dragons woven from rice straw as auspicious objects, dancing them to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests. From selecting and drying the straw to weaving and assembling the dragon and fitting its head and tail, the whole piece requires several people working together for several days to complete, and when taken out in procession it is overwhelming in momentum.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Straw Weaving · Straw Weaving · Straw Weaving · Straw Weaving · Straw Weaving.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Chen Huanbin (recorded in the official archive of the associated representative inheritor): Male, of the Han nationality, born in March 1970, a native of Muchuan County, Sichuan Province. From 1990 to the present he has made repeated improvements to the Muchuan straw dragon weaving and assembly technique, evolving from the original straw-bundle dragon to a mesh dragon and then to the present scale-armored dragon; he has also improved the performance props, adding straw hats, straw shoulder pieces, straw skirts, straw leg guards, straw sandals, and others. He has participated many times in display and performance activities at home and abroad. He has passed on the Muchuan straw dragon weaving technique through various means: while teaching the craft to his children and nephews, he has also established a Muchuan straw dragon weaving and performance base at Muchuan County Vocational Middle School, transmitting and developing this folk art. Representative inheritor of straw weaving (Muchuan straw dragon), a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the fifth batch.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Yu Fangze 03-1271
• Wang Qunying 05-2652
• Chen Huanbin 05-2653
• Saileihankakemuhazi 05-2654
• Yang Yuxing

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Straw Weaving (Muchuan, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chen Huanbin · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗