Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
By the Tang dynasty, the use of felt had become widespread; the saddle felts of Yuanzhou (present-day Gu County, Ningxia), Lingzhou (present-day Lingwu County, Ningxia), Ningzhou (present-day Ning County, Gansu), and Fengzhou (present-day Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia) were all renowned throughout the northwest.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Wool-textile fulling is a special weaving craft. It first soaks wool or camel hair in hot water, then compresses it; by rolling and rubbing it with wooden sticks the fibers are made to bind together, forming a non-woven wool fabric known as 'felt' (zhan). In antiquity felt was also known by other names; as early as the Neolithic period, China already possessed the craft of fulling felt by rolling it with wooden sticks. Histories of the Zhou dynasty record: 'Felt is wool; it is made by rubbing wool into felt.' Jia Sixie's Qimin Yaoshu (Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People), of the Northern Wei (386-534), states: 'In making felt, thickness and size are not what matter; rather, it should be tightly compacted, thin, and even to be good.' That such guidance appears shows felt-making was already fairly common at the time. According to the New Book of Tang, the Tubo kingdom (located on the present-day Qinghai-Tibet Plateau) was also famous for its red felt and rosy-hued felt, and presented them as tribute to Chang'an. At present, the main felt-producing areas are concentrated in the northwestern minority regions of Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia. By use it is divided into many varieties, including kang felt (bed felt), cushion felt, prayer felt, inner-wall felt (wrapped around the inner walls of a yurt), outer-wall felt (wrapped around the outer walls), colored felt (fulled from dyed wool), embroidered felt (decorated with embroidery), cut-and-carved felt (cut into relief following the outline of the colored pattern on the felt), and stove felt (placed by the stove). Felt is also used to sew satchels, dalian (shoulder pouches), and miscellaneous bags, and is an indispensable necessity in the daily life of northwestern minority peoples. The Tibetan yak- and sheep-wool weaving craft is a product of the steppe's particular ecological environment; from ancient times to the present, this craft and its products have accompanied the steppe herders and become an important part of their historical culture. For a thousand years and more, the Tibetan herders of Seda County, Sichuan, have relied on yak- and sheep-wool weaving for everything from daily household items to clothing and dwelling tents. The woolen textiles of Seda County are made from the yak, sheep, and Tibetan goat wool of the region, processed through weaving and fulling; they keep out the cold and damp and are long-lasting, bearing a strong Qinghai-Tibet Plateau character.
Spinning the yarn
Wool is soaked in hot water, squeezed and spun; an even yarn is what lets the weaver keep the cloth flat.
Weaving the herdman's coat
The herdman's coat is woven in the sequence spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing, and only an even cloth keeps the wind out.
Fulling the felt
Felt is not woven: soaked wool is beaten and rolled until the fibres mat together, and thin even sheets are best.
Cut and carved felt
Following the outline of the coloured design, the knife turns a flat felt pattern into a raised one.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The woolen textiles of Seda County take the yak, sheep, and Tibetan goat wool of the region as their main raw material, combining weaving with fulling; the finished products keep out the cold and damp and last a long time, suiting life on the highland pasture well. Every household on the grassland uses them, from clothing to the tents they dwell in. Dongcuo learned the craft as a child from her grandmother and mother, following the path of spinning the yarn, weaving the herdman's coat, cutting, and sewing; the yarn she spins is fine and even in thickness, and the cloth she weaves is smooth and durable. Today she has developed four categories with many varieties. As for the uses of felt, the kang felt, cushion felt, prayer felt, inner-wall felt, outer-wall felt, colored felt, embroidered felt, cut-and-carved felt, and stove felt each have their purpose; the cut-and-carved felt must further be cut into relief following the outline of the colored pattern on the felt, a process even finer than weaving the cloth.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Dongcuo (per the official archival record of the associated inheritor): Female, Tibetan ethnicity, born April 1959, a native of Seda County, Sichuan Province. Representative inheritor of the fifth batch of the national-level intangible cultural heritage item 'Wool-textile and Fulling Craft (Tibetan Yak- and Sheep-wool Weaving Craft).' She has engaged in yak- and sheep-wool weaving with her grandmother and mother since childhood, and together with her mother wove various yak- and sheep-wool daily-use items and handicrafts. Her skill and process sequence (spinning the yarn, weaving the herdman's coat, cutting, and sewing) are locally recognized as representative and influential. The yak- and sheep-wool yarn she spins is fine, easy to weave, and even in thickness, and her woven goods are smooth and durable. She has developed four categories of products in many varieties.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Mashelei 03-1360
- Abulizi Tuerxun 04-1879
- Shuogerequ 05-2801
- Dongcuo 05-2802
- Basang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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