Traditional Li Textile Techniques
01 · Historical Records
The continuity of Li brocade is bound up with the two functions it served at once: one was kinship, the other ritual protocol. Different patterns, colors, and styles of Li brocade once served as important markers distinguishing tribal groups with different kinship ties, while the other end of it pointed outward: the dragon quilt, also called the great quilt and known in historical records as the Yazhou quilt, was long a prized tribute that Hainan presented to the Central Plains. These internal and external uses meant that brocade patterns both preserved the memory of the community and fulfilled a function of external exchange. The tribute tradition documented in historical sources tied Hainan weaving to the aesthetic demands of the Central Plains court; the more patterns were selected and compared, the higher the technical demands on weaving became, and those exacting demands in turn fixed certain patterns and color schemes in place. This is precisely what made Li brocade patterns at once rich and stable.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Li people's weaving and dyeing techniques have a long history and distinctive characteristics, encompassing ramie weaving, cotton weaving, brocade weaving, printing and dyeing (including tie-dyeing), embroidery, and dragon quilts. Li settlement areas are rich in raw materials for weaving and dyeing, such as kapok and wild hemp. Before cotton textiles became widespread, wild hemp textiles prevailed in Li areas. People generally strip the outer bark from wild hemp gathered during the rainy season and, through soaking, rinsing, and other processes, steep it into hemp bolts. Once the hemp bolts have been dyed, they are hand-twisted into hemp yarn or spun into thread with a spindle, and then woven into cloth. Wild hemp cloth is sturdy in texture and was mostly used to make outer garments and lower robes worn while working. Li brocade patterns are rich and varied, numbering more than 160 kinds; they consist mainly of human figures, animals, plants, flowers, everyday implements, and geometric motifs, with human, animal, and plant designs predominating. The looms used to weave Li brocade are mainly of two types: the foot-treadled loom and the backstrap loom. The backstrap loom is an extremely ancient loom; Li women can use it to weave exquisite and complex patterns. Different patterns, colors, and styles of Li brocade once served as important markers distinguishing tribal groups with different kinship ties, and thus possess extremely important humanistic value. Li printing and dyeing is dominated by tie-dyeing, known in ancient times as jiaoxie. The fabric passes through binding, dyeing, drying, and thread-folding steps, ultimately forming brilliantly colored printed cloth. The dyes used in printing and dyeing are derived mainly from plant leaves, flowers, bark, and roots, supplemented by natural mineral pigments. Li embroidery has two forms: flat embroidery and double-sided embroidery, the most famous being the double-sided embroidery of the Run-dialect Li people of the Baisha area, whose composition and patterns are exceptionally fine. The dragon quilt is a treasure among Li brocades; it integrates spinning, dyeing, embroidery, weaving, and other crafts in a single piece, with exquisite workmanship, brilliant colors, elegant patterns, and varied styles. It represents the most outstanding craftsmanship and the highest cultural and artistic value among Li brocades, and for this reason became a tribute treasure of the Hainan region in every dynasty. The dragon quilt is also called the great quilt, and is known in historical records as the Yazhou quilt. The weaving and embroidery of dragon quilts produced different artistic styles and characteristics according to the Li dialects and regions of residence, making them valuable physical material for studying the evolution of Li culture.
Stripping wild ramie and retting it
Before cotton cloth spread, wild ramie dressed the Li people: bark stripped in the rainy season, soaked and washed into a usable length, then dyed and spun.
Weaving on the waist loom
On the waist loom the weaver braces the frame against the body and sends the shuttle by leaning, gaining the freedom to render elaborate Li brocade patterns.
Tie-dyeing in four steps
Tying, dyeing, drying and folding in a set pattern produce the marbled cloth; the density of the ties shapes the motif, using plant leaves, bark and roots as dye.
Weaving the dragon quilt
The dragon quilt combines weaving, dyeing and embroidery in one piece; its style varies by dialect and locality, making it material evidence of Li cultural evolution.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Traditional Li spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery techniques are distributed across all counties of Hainan, but differences among branches and dialects give each place its own strengths. The area around Wuzhishan City excels in Qi-dialect brocade technique: Liu Xianglan learned brocade weaving from her mother Huang Guizhen from the age of thirteen, and by fifteen had mastered the weaving methods of that dialect; thereafter she applied the four skills of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery together to garments, bed mats, tube skirts, headscarves, and wall hangings. In contrast is the Run-dialect area around Baisha, which is most famous for double-sided embroidery, with especially fine composition and patterns; while the Meifu-dialect area around Dongfang City excels in the coordination of dyeing and weaving and in the symmetrical variations of human-figure patterns. Seen together, Wuzhishan, Baisha, Dongfang, and Ledong show that the same craft of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery grew into different specialties in places whose conditions of water and heat, crops, and marriage customs differed.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Traditional Li Textile Techniques · Traditional Li Textile Techniques · Traditional Li Textile Techniques · Traditional Li Textile Techniques.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Liu Xianglan (as recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Female, Li ethnicity, born in March 1969, a native of Wuzhishan City, Hainan Province. Representative inheritor of Li traditional spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item from the third batch. She learned Li brocade weaving from her mother Huang Guizhen at the age of thirteen and mastered the brocade technique of the Li Qi dialect at fifteen; through long practice thereafter she continually refined the forms of the craft and raised her level of skill. She skillfully applies the four traditional Li crafts of the Wuzhishan area — spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery — to the production of garments, bed mats, tube skirts, headscarves, and wall hangings. In 2006 she founded the Wuzhishan Xianglan Brocade Professional Cooperative, which raised the incomes of farmers in the surrounding area. Attentive to the transmission of the craft, she has gone deep into villages to teach it; she has been engaged by numerous primary and secondary schools and technical secondary colleges to teach Li brocade weaving, and has trained a large number of students who have mastered the technique.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Rong Yamei 01-0139
- Liu Xianglan 03-1309
- Fu Linzao 04-1837
- Wang Ruimei
- Hu Chunfang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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