China has abundant natural resources. For thousands of years, the ancient residents of our country made use of these resources and used their skillful hands to make many production and living utensils with strong craftsmanship. Among them, the living utensils made of knitting and knitting occupy a lot of traditional crafts in our country. Important position.
1.Knot
It is a net bag or ornament made of various patterns with threads and ropes, commonly known as “Jianzi” or “Luozi” in ancient times. Regarding the knitting technique in ancient my country, it is said that Cao Xueqin, a famous writer in Qing Dynasty, paid much attention to folk knitting techniques.
There are many descriptions of this in his “Dream of Red Mansions”, such as the 35th chapter of the book “The Golden Oriole Knot “Meihualuo” records that the maid Ying’er from the folk has learned a good hand-knitting craft. She can make a variety of “luozi” such as “a pillar of incense, a rising stool, and willow leaves”, which can be seen from the folk traditions at that time. There are many knitting techniques.
The ancient art of bamboo, willow, grass, palm and rattan weaving has a long history and diverse varieties. During the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, the knitting craftsmanship in ancient my country has reached a very high level.
Some bamboo mats, bamboo fans, bamboo baskets and bamboo baskets dating back more than 2,400 years have been unearthed from the Mashan Warring States Tomb in Jiangling, Hubei. All of these provide reliable data for studying the development of ancient knitting technology in our country.
2.Bamboo Weaving:
Bamboo weaving is a handicraft made by processing bamboo into soft bamboo strips and silk, which are mainly produced in southern my country. There are many kinds of bamboo weaving, from tables, chairs, cabinets, beds, as small as fruit boxes, fruit baskets, and even small decorations on the desk, all of which can be cleverly woven from bamboo chips and bamboo strips. In ancient my country, there are many verses describing the beauty of southern bamboo weaving.
For example, the Eastern Jin poet Xu Xun’s “Short Autumn Cicada Wing” praised the southern bamboo mats as thin as cicada wings and exquisite. Dongyang’s bamboo resources are very rich, providing extremely favorable conditions for the development of the bamboo weaving industry. In the Song Dynasty, bamboo weaving in Dongyang was the most famous, mainly producing dragon lanterns, lanterns, and revolving horse lanterns.
3.Straw:
Straw is a handicraft made of various flexible grass plants as raw materials. Straw weaving originated very early in our country, and beautiful woven straw mats have been found in tombs in the Warring States Period. For thousands of years, the ancient working people of our country took local materials and woven various grass plants into various exquisite straw mats, straw hats, straw shoes and other decorative articles, which became indispensable practical craft supplies in people’s daily life.
My country’s straw weaving raw materials are rich in resources, all over the north and south. These grasses have common characteristics: the stalks are relatively smooth, have fewer knots, are flexible in texture, and have a strong tensile force. Before weaving the straw, we usually need to process the forage. Some have to be combed and split, some have to be fumigated and bleached, and some have to be braided first. This is mainly determined by the nature of the forage and the weaving utensils.
4.Willow:
Wickerwork is a handicraft made of wicker (including Pueraria lobata, Bai Latiao, Vitex, etc.) as raw materials. The wicker is peeled off and processed to make various daily handicrafts. The main products are baskets, baskets, crates, boxes, boxes, plates, etc., which are both light and firm, and of high quality and low price. The distribution area of willow is relatively wide, with the most in Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu and other places.
The willows in Cangzhou, Hebei have been famous in Tang Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, Gu’an was known as the “Hometown of Willow Weaving” for its production of wicker baskets, baskets, boxes, and boxes. Shaanxi silver willow weaves flourished in the Qing Dynasty. It uses Salix as the raw material and is used after peeling and trimming. It has various weaving techniques and has always been known for its precision, beauty and strangeness.
5.Rattan:
Rattan weaving is a practical handicraft made of rattan as raw material for processing and weaving. The rattan is tough and elastic, anticorrosive, waterproof, light and durable, so it is mostly used to make fruit baskets, vegetable baskets, sleeping boxes, chair screens, etc.The main producing areas of rattan in my country are Yunnan, Guangdong and Jiangxi. Yunnan rattan weaving is the most famous in Tengchong.
The rattan weaves in this area are made of chicken vines, water vines, and yellow vines produced at Tongbiguanin in Tengchong and Yingjiang, and use unique techniques to make lounge chairs, coffee tables, rattan hats, etc., with superb quality and well-known far and wide. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was renamed Tengyue Zhou for its rich rattan production. Qing Qu Dajun’s “Guangdong Xinyu” said that the people who made rattan in the Lingnan area had “two in ten”, which shows the wide range of production.
6.Brown Weaving:
Palm weaving is one of the traditional handicrafts of the Han nationality. It is a handicraft made from palm leaves. Palm straw products have been available since ancient times. The palm weaving in the Yangtze River Basin is mainly known for the Sichuan Xinfan Brown Weaving and Hunan Brown Weaving Toys. In addition, Guizhou Tangtou brown braided basket and Zhejiang Wuyi brown stretcher are also very famous.
Sichuan Xinfan Brown Weaving is a traditional product of Xinfan Town, Xindu County, with a history of more than 200 years. Guizhou Sinan Tangtou Palm Leaf Basket is made of tender white brown leaves, cut into filaments, or twisted into silk ropes to weave. It is flexible and elastic, can drain water, and is not afraid of moisture. It is especially suitable for family use. Changting, Fujian is famous for its brown woven suitcases, box caps, and mattresses, and it has been widely produced during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
As people’s awareness of environmental protection has been aroused, more people have begun to pay attention to the weaving of plants that have been left out for a long time. In recent years, more and more plants such as rattan, bamboo, palm, and other plants have been used for furniture. Compared with wood, these plants have a shorter growth cycle, so it is cheaper to use them to make furniture than wood, and it can also protect forest resources.
