Caidaibianzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
The She ribbon-weaving craft has a long history. According to historical records, the She people migrated to Jingning during the Tang dynasty and gradually began weaving ribbons in their spare time outside of farm work.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The She ribbon, also known as the "Shanha ribbon" or "character ribbon", is a traditional hand-woven article of the She people. The weaving craft is mainly found in the She villages and hamlets of Jingning She Autonomous County in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, with Dongnong, Gangshi, Anting and other villages as its main distribution areas, extending into the surrounding region. Jingning She Autonomous County lies at the southern tip of Zhejiang Province. Its territory is a place of layered mountains and deep ravines, and the She people commonly grow ramie that can be harvested three times a year, providing abundant raw material for the ribbon-weaving craft. The craft uses hand-spun cotton yarn or ramie as its main raw materials, and silk thread is also used for weaving. The process consists mainly of selecting the frame, setting up the rods, fitting the frame, arranging the threads, warping, making the hand loops, making the heddles, mounting on the loom, weaving the band, weaving the pattern and picking out the figured design. She ribbons carry both characters and decorative patterns, bearing meanings of worship, warding off evil and invoking blessings. The patterns usually include the butterfly flower, water-bamboo flower, copper-coin flower and character flower. The types of ribbon are distinguished by the number of warp threads woven, mainly 71, 50, 35, 25, 19, 13 and 7 threads. Woven works are classified by weave pattern or material into silk ribbons, flower ribbons, character ribbons and so on. The She ribbon is an indispensable article for the She people: it serves as a costume ornament and can also be used as a practical item of daily life such as a waistband or a carrying strap, and it is moreover a token of love between young She men and women and an auspicious object for warding off evil and giving blessings. It is characterized by the pictorialization of belief and the integration of craft into daily life. The ribbon is an important measure of a She woman's skill and dexterity and a love token given to a sweetheart; the weaving craft is part of She women's lives, and She girls learn to weave ribbons from childhood. Today the She ribbon has become a cultural symbol and a calling card of Jingning's She township. Display at major festivals, sales of cultural-tourism products and its use on She costumes are important channels for transmitting and spreading the ribbon-weaving craft.
Frame, heddle rods and warping
The frame is chosen to the width of the band, heddle rods are set and the warp threads are strung across the frame at the density the pattern requires; if the positions are wrong the pattern will never match.
Warp preparation, heddle and tie-up
The warp is straightened and divided into the required strands, its ends are bound, and selected warp threads are threaded through the heddles and linked to the treadles, so that lifting and pressing later answer to the foot.
Weaving characters by pattern picking
The characters are not embroidered but picked out course by course as the warp rises and falls, so the weaver must hold the shape of each character in mind and count the threads; one mistake ruins the whole band.
Bands graded by warp count
Bands are graded by the number of warp threads — seventy-one, fifty, thirty-five, twenty-five, nineteen, thirteen or seven — more threads meaning a wider band and a richer pattern; silk, flower and character bands differ in weave and material.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
She ribbons have a strong ethnic and local character and are a vivid testimony to the cultural blending between the Central Plains and the regions of the south.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present the county has more than a hundred inheritors of the She ribbon-weaving craft, including one provincial-level representative inheritor, one at the municipal level and four at the county level, along with a large number of enthusiasts. Relying on transmission venues, the inheritors actively take on apprentices and pass on their skills, properly preserve related objects and materials, cooperate with the competent cultural authorities in conducting intangible cultural heritage surveys, and carry out activities such as bringing intangible cultural heritage into schools, thereby promoting the transmission and spread of this craft. The She ribbon-weaving craft bears witness to the historical changes of the She people and embodies people's love of life and their aspirations, and it is of great value for studying She history and social structure, enhancing cultural confidence and promoting cultural exchange.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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