Traditional Li Textile Techniques
01 · Historical Records
Li weaving and embroidery in the Baisha area is built on double-sided embroidery. The same piece of cloth forms the pattern on both faces at once, legible front and back without the slightest blurring; this craft requires longer threads and denser stitches, as well as greater patience, and is therefore the most demanding category of Li embroidery. Viewed from the perspective of Li brocade as a whole, Baisha's position is also rather special: it is both one of the transmission areas of Li spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery and a neighbor of the old territory of Yazhou, and the historical records of the Yazhou quilt — that is, the dragon quilt — corroborate the weaving traditions of this region. The two threads of everyday embroidery and tribute weaving come together in the villages of Baisha.
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.
Double-sided embroidery
Both faces of the cloth carry a complete, matching design; the Ru-dialect double-sided embroidery of Baisha is the most demanding branch of Li needlework.
Tying and immersing in dye
The cloth is bundled according to the design and immersed; dye reaches the loosened folds more freely, and untying reveals the mottled motif, by feel alone.
Weaving the Yazhou quilt
Known as the great quilt or Yazhou quilt, it passes through weaving, dyeing, embroidery and further finishing; wide, refined and technically the summit of Li brocade.
Passing the shuttle from the waist loom
Bracing the loom at the waist, the weaver sends the shuttle by leaning, freeing both hands to manage the multi-coloured warp according to the pattern.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In Baisha Li Autonomous County, the craft is concentrated in villages settled by speakers of the Run dialect, where the women's double-sided embroidery has the finest composition and patterns and stands as representative of Li embroidery. The neighboring counties of Baoting, Ledong, Dongfang, and Wuzhishan are also Li, but each has its own branches and customs, and their strengths are not the same. Baisha's woven and embroidered goods are mostly used for quilt covers, tube skirts, headscarves, and ceremonial brocades; cross-stitch and appliqué work are practiced alongside weaving. The local safeguarding unit is the Baisha Li Autonomous County Cultural Center; the craft is passed down mainly among women from generation to generation, and no specialized trade organization has emerged.
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
The Baisha Li double-sided embroidery shows the highest degree of skill: the patterns on the two faces differ not in the slightest, and the stitches on the back of the cloth are just as even. This requirement gives it a place of its own within Li embroidery, and it also means that the number of women who have mastered it is far smaller than those who have mastered ordinary flat embroidery. Existing alongside it are two further crafts: tie-dyeing and the dragon quilt. Tie-dyeing forms its patterns through the ancient jiaoxie method, its colors arising from the positions of the bindings, so that it is difficult to repeat an exactly identical piece. The dragon quilt unites spinning, dyeing, and embroidery in a single object; it was a tribute treasure of successive dynasties, long to make and produced in small quantities. Together, these three crafts constitute the technical heights of Baisha Li weaving and embroidery. Judging from the actual state of transmission, few people now truly master the full set of processes for double-sided embroidery, tie-dyeing, and the dragon quilt together, and all three crafts depend heavily on implements such as dye vats, embroidery frames, and looms; the loss of a single tool makes it difficult to reproduce the original effect. For Baisha, then, preserving the tools is just as important as preserving the people.
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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