The "Living Fossil" Of China'S Textile Industry Goes To The International Stage

▲ On April 17, 2023, Liu Xianglan, the national representative inheritor of the traditional textile, dyeing, weaving and embroidery skills of the Li nationality, demonstrated the weaving skills of Li brocade at the Milan Design Week in 2023. Shen Jizhong

The "Weaver Girl" wearing the traditional clothes of the Li nationality sits on the ground, spindles shuttle gently on the loom, and beautiful patterns are slowly created between silk threads... In Hainan, the southernmost part of China, people can often see such scenes in scenic spots, museums, exhibitions and Li villages.

The Li brocade created by the Li nationality, a permanent resident of Hainan Island, integrates spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidery. It is one of the oldest cotton spinning techniques in China and even the world, and the only world intangible cultural heritage project in Hainan at present. It is known as the "living fossil" of the textile industry.

The ancients praised Lijin as "brilliant as clouds". Li brocade is more like a "history book" for the Li people who did not create characters, writing about the culture and wisdom of this nation. As early as before the Han Dynasty, Li brocade with exquisite patterns and fine workmanship was favored by people. In the Song Dynasty, the "Li Dan" and "Li Screen" woven by Li people were not only indispensable on important occasions such as Li people's marriage and major festivals, but also became a popular commodity in some inland areas.

Hu Chunfang, who lives in Jiamao Town, Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan Province, started "learning arts" at the age of 9 and has been with Li Jin for 57 years. He is one of the few provincial inheritors of Li Jin. In her opinion, when weaving Li brocade, the feet, waist, hands, eyes and brain need to work together tacitly to make simple silk threads weave colorful colors and mysterious totems.

In recent years, Hainan has invested a lot of money to open the Li brocade art transmission hall, and built a training base to cultivate a number of Li brocade inheritors. Since 2012, Lijin Skill has entered primary and secondary schools across Hainan as a special course. Hainan Province has also formulated a series of measures to strengthen the systematic protection, creative transformation and innovative development of Lijin, and gradually overcome the problem of lack of successors once faced by Lijin inheritance.

From a "craftsman" to a "craftsman", Hu Chunfang compiled her own teaching materials. From her daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, relatives, friends, neighbors, and handicraft lovers all over the country, she traveled around a dozen provinces and cities, took more than 40 apprentices, and trained thousands of people. Hu Chunfang also took his own Li brocade works to Japan, France, etc. to participate in cultural exchange activities of intangible cultural heritage on behalf of Hainan. Her set of Li brocade "double-sided weaving" handicrafts were collected by UNESCO when they were exhibited in Paris.

In order to further awaken this sleeping skill, Hainan has also constantly promoted Lijin to go abroad and go global.

In 2019, the traditional textile, dyeing, weaving and embroidery skills of the Li nationality became the first intangible cultural heritage project in China to enter the UNESCO headquarters for exhibition. In 2022, Hainan Wuzhi Mountain will hold the Rainforest Elves Fashion Show. In 2023, Li culture exhibition and exchange activities in Hainan, China will enter Milan, the international fashion capital. In addition, Li Jin has also appeared at the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia for many years in a row, and has been given as a "national gift" to guests at home and abroad to let the world discover and feel its unique charm.

In the eyes of many people, Li brocade is beautiful, but if it is not integrated into modern aesthetics and daily life, its inheritance and development space will be smaller and smaller. In order to promote the integration of Li brocade skills with the fashion industry, Wuzhishan City, Hainan Province signed a talent training agreement with the Shenzhen campus of Italian Marangoni College. The curriculum includes accessories, silhouettes, fabrics, digitization and a series of professional directions.

Today, Lijin Intangible Cultural Heritage takes the "express train" above, and characteristic cultural and creative products continue to emerge. Handbags, bookmarks, table flags, improved clothing and other fashionable, trendy, young and international products, as beautiful and practical hand gifts, enter Hainan's major tourist attractions, popular business circles, airports and other places. Some products have also entered the cultural performances and consumer markets in Britain, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Norway and other countries.

(Source: Xinhua Daily Telegraph)