Traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering
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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000203 Country China ICH Domain Traditional craft skills Address The distribution of the element is in the Hainan Island (latitude 18°10′—20°10′ north, longitude 108°37′—111°05′ east), Hainan Province, P. R. China, concentrating in Baisha, Wuzhishan, Ledong, Baoting and five other counties and cities.
| Description | The traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering are employed by women of the Li ethnic group of Hainan Province, China, to make cotton, hemp and other fibres into clothing and other daily necessities. The techniques involved, including warp ikat, double-face embroidery, and single-face jacquard weaving, are passed down from mothers to daughters from early childhood through verbal instruction and personal demonstration. |
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| Social and cultural significance | The textiles form an indispensable part of important social and cultural occasions such as religious rituals and festivals, and in particular weddings, for which Li women design their own dresses. As carriers of Li culture, traditional Li textile techniques are an indispensable part of the cultural heritage of the Li ethnic group. However, in recent decades the numbers of women with the weaving and embroidery skills at their command has severely declined to the extent that traditional Li textile techniques are exposed to the risk of extinction and are in urgent need of protection. |
| Transmission method | As essential skills of Li women, the techniques have been passed on from mothers to daughters through verbal instruction and personal demonstration. Girls are taught hand by hand by their mothers since early childhood. They get married in the wedding dress made by themselves to show their cleverness and deftness and hence to earn respect from others. Li textile techniques have a long history. Before Qin Dynasty, over 1,000 years earlier than those living in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Li people acquired the skills of cotton spinning and weaving. Since Han Dynasty, Li textiles had been articles of tribute paid to the royal courts. In Song Dynasty, the spinning industry of Li people was still in the leading position in China. In Qing Dynasty, Li textiles became the curiosity in domestic and international acquire. In mid-19th century, in the areas surrounding the region of Li people, the imported textiles made by machines gradually replaced the traditional ones. The cotton spinning techniques still existed in the mountain areas where Li people lived because of their less developed commercial economy. Since mid-20th century, the life and production of Li people experience great changes. Li textiles used to be the daily necessities of Li people. But now, it is used only in religious ceremonies, weddings, funerals, festivals and other folk activities. In the past, the local ceiba, Jibei, was widely planted in the region of Li ethnic group. Now there are few growing it. The raw material for hand-spun yarns is in urgent need. The development of modern agriculture is seizing the living space of wild vegetation, which makes it very difficult to collect raw materials for making natural dyestuffs. The traditional spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering techniques were wide spread among women of Li ethnic group in history. In 1950s, there were about 50,000 engaged in spinning and weaving as their daily activities. In 1970s, the number reduced by half. Now, less than 1,000 have the techniques at their command. And most of them are in their seventies. There are less than 200 who master the craft of warp ikat and no more than 5 know double-face embroidery skills. There is no one who grasps the complete techniques of making Dragon Quilts. With the accelerated process of industrialization, textiles made with machines are taking the place of the hand-made ones and chemical dyestuffs are replacing the natural. Li textile making, time consuming and in great demand of traditional skills, finds it hard to compete against the modern industrialized textile production. Besides, more and more people choose to buy the textiles made with machine in the market. In 21st century, with the popularization of broadcasting, television and Internet and the rapid development of modern communications, Li people’s taste and value are experiencing changes. In the process of globalization, Hainan Island is becoming an international tourist attraction. With the coming of throngs of tourists, foreign culture becomes a strong impingement on the native culture. Under the influence of the new life style, the teenagers of Li ethnic group are apt to wear other than their traditional dresses. In recent decades, the raw materials for Li textile production become fewer and fewer. There are few large stretches of ceibas and indigo plants. The resources of wild hemps and dyestuff plants are under destruction. There are few who master Li textile techniques. Only those living in the mountain areas grasp part of the crafts. Most of Li women know little about spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering. The Li textile techniques of centuries-long history are endangered of extinction. The transmitting mode of Li textile techniques is challenged by the popularization of school education. In the past, the techniques were wide spread among Li women as essential skills. They are passed on within families and mostly from mothers to daughters. Girls started to learn the textile skills since early childhood. But now school-age girls go to school rather than learning the traditional crafts at home. They are busy with their study and cannot afford to spend months on weaving themselves a straight skirt. Li textile techniques are transmitted through oral instruction and personal demonstration. There is no record of the patterns. With the death of the skilled women, the techniques are being lost at high speed. According to the burial customs of Li ethnic group, the spinning and weaving tools as well as the clothing of the deceased women are mostly buried with the dead. Those who master the techniques are mostly advanced of age. Their skills as well as the precious tangible objects are to be lost with their death. Considering the serious risks and threats Li textile techniques are facing, it is urgent to carry out effective measures of protection. |
| Community | People of Li Ethnic Group living in Baisha, Wuzhishan, Ledong, Baoting and five other counties and cities of Hainan Province, P. R. ChinanMs. Rong Yamei (of Li ethnic group), state-level representative transmitter of the element |
| Type of UNESCO List | List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2009 |
