Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
In 641 AD, Princess Wencheng of the Tang dynasty was married far away to Songtsen Gampo of Tibet. Beginning in the mid-14th century, the Zetier (Zetie'er) weaving technique received attention and was gradually developed and perfected, continuing to the present day.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Zetier weaving technique is a form of woolen-textile and felting craft, distributed in Zedang Town, Ndoi District, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region. Zedang Town lies in the central-south of Tibet, south of the Gangdise Mountains and in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. For thousands of years, the snowy plateau has maintained the custom of weaving woolen textiles such as pulu, aprons, and Tibetan quilts from sheep's wool. Zetier is a fine local woolen handicraft of Zedang, regarded as a superior product among Tibetan pulu. The making of Zetier is quite exacting, from the selection of materials to the weaving process. Weaving Zetier requires the finest soft wool from beneath the necks and from the backs of sheep, first cleaned in clear warm water with the roots of the wool downward and the tips upward. After washing it is air-dried, then divided into portions and brushed so that the wool takes a triangular shape. Next comes twisting the yarn: for the coarse twist, the thread is wound around a wooden spindle between the thumb and middle finger; for the fine twist, the already-twisted warp threads are reverse-twisted in two strands to increase the tenacity of the wool yarn. Unlike other pulu, which are woven after mounting the loom, Zetier's loom carries as many as 184 to 190 reeds, and requires double warp and weft with single weft weaving; finally a large stone must press it for three to four days before it can be dyed. The woven Zetier is soft in texture and bears a distinctive twill pattern. After Songtsen Gampo's death, Princess Wencheng lived on in the Yarlung valley (Changzhu Monastery). Over a period of more than thirty years, Princess Wencheng and her retinue successively spread the advanced culture and craft of the Han regions to the Tibetan lands. The predecessor of Zetier, the Tibetan pulu, was in this historical period a purely handmade woolen textile product born of the combination of Tubo's traditional textile techniques with the advanced textile craft of the Han regions. The Zetier weaving technique is the crystallization of the wisdom of the people of Shannan, and also a fruitful result of ethnic cultural exchange. Costumes made with this technique are an outstanding representative of Shannan dress, and provide concrete examples for the study of Tibetan woolen-textile craft and traditional costume. This item has achieved remarkable results in driving employment and helping the public secure jobs and increase income, making a positive contribution to the economic and social development of Ndoi District.
Archival Record of Process Steps
The making of Zetier is quite exacting, from the selection of materials to the weaving process.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Zetier recognizes only the mountains and waters of Shannan: the sheep are taken for the fine soft wool beneath the neck and on the back, and when washed in clear water the wool roots point downward and the sheep's heads upward; after air-drying it is divided into portions and brushed into triangles. The loom carries fully one hundred eighty-four to one hundred ninety reeds, with double-ply warp and single-ply weft, and after weaving a large stone must press it for three to four days before it may be immersed and dyed. In the area of Changzhu Monastery, the Han-region experience left by Princess Wencheng and local Tibetan tradition converge.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi · Maofangzhijiganzhijiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In 2008, the inheritor raised funds to open the Ndoi County Ethnic Zetier Hand-weaving Professional Cooperative, inviting veteran craftsmen and recruiting young people to carry out Zetier training activities, expanding the craft from traditional family transmission to group transmission within the cooperative. At the same time, the government invested substantial funds to help the cooperative build new workshops and a comprehensive office building and to add new equipment, supporting the protection and transmission of the Zetier weaving technique.
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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