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Pavilion to highlight straw-weaving art
By Staff Reporters |
April 26, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AMONG the theme pavilions at World Expo 2010 Shanghai China, there will be a "pavilion inside a pavilion" - the Pavilion of Public Participation. Covering an area of 1,200 square meters, the contents will take visitors back to the days when Chinese people contributed their efforts to the application and preparation period for the Expo.
It will also present a beautiful picture of the bright future of Expo. In this pavilion, the "Show Space" project will fully exhibit the charms of the straw-weaving art of Xuhang, Jiading.
The straw-weaving art of Xuhang has a long history. Back in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), local governors had already included such handicrafts in their lists of tributes to the royal family. In the early 20th century, the exchange between Eastern and Western straw-weaving cultures started growing.
In 1914, an Italian firm employed two locals of Xuhang, Wang Jihe and Zhu Shilin, as its agents to purchase straw-weaving products from local farmers for export to Southeast Asia, Europe and America. This marked the entry of Xuhang's straw-weaving art into the world market.
In 1953, straw sandals designed and crafted by Li Yueqin with a peace dove pattern won a medal at Leipzig Trade Fair. In 1956, China Central Newsreel and Documentary Studio produced the film "Straw-weaving of Jiading." In 1957, straw-weaving artists from Xuhang were invited to the National Representative Conference of Industrial Arts.
Due to the increasing influence of this art and its escalating artistic values, Xuhang Town was named in 1994 by the Ministry of Culture as a "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art." In 2008, the art was included in China's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
There is a beautiful tale about the origin of the straw-weaving art of Xuhang. A long time ago, an intelligent, fair-looking and kind-hearted girl lived in a poor family by the Xinjing Pond in Xuhang.
Her wedding was coming, but she could not even afford a pair of shoes and she was distressed at the possible embarrassment of getting married bare-footed. One day, when she grazed cattle on a riverside meadow, she could not help bursting into muffled tears. Suddenly, her old cow, which had accompanied her for years, licked her foot. The girl looked down and found that the cow had fetched a handful of golden colored straw for her. Inspired by this old companion, the girl wove the straw into a pair of beautiful sandals and later wore them at her wedding. This caused a sensation. Other girls started learning how to make straw sandals. To commemorate this ingenious girl who invented the straw-weaving art, local people renamed the village "Puxie Village" ("Straw-sandal Village") and honored the girl as the "Fairy of Straw-weaving".
In the beginning, Xuhang artisans focused on straw sandals (commonly known as "puxie"). Later, they expanded the scope to include other articles of daily use such as handbags, baskets, saucers, trays and cup holders.
Today, the straw-weaving art of Xuhang has become a great treasure of Chinese folk art.
It will also present a beautiful picture of the bright future of Expo. In this pavilion, the "Show Space" project will fully exhibit the charms of the straw-weaving art of Xuhang, Jiading.
The straw-weaving art of Xuhang has a long history. Back in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), local governors had already included such handicrafts in their lists of tributes to the royal family. In the early 20th century, the exchange between Eastern and Western straw-weaving cultures started growing.
In 1914, an Italian firm employed two locals of Xuhang, Wang Jihe and Zhu Shilin, as its agents to purchase straw-weaving products from local farmers for export to Southeast Asia, Europe and America. This marked the entry of Xuhang's straw-weaving art into the world market.
In 1953, straw sandals designed and crafted by Li Yueqin with a peace dove pattern won a medal at Leipzig Trade Fair. In 1956, China Central Newsreel and Documentary Studio produced the film "Straw-weaving of Jiading." In 1957, straw-weaving artists from Xuhang were invited to the National Representative Conference of Industrial Arts.
Due to the increasing influence of this art and its escalating artistic values, Xuhang Town was named in 1994 by the Ministry of Culture as a "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art." In 2008, the art was included in China's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
There is a beautiful tale about the origin of the straw-weaving art of Xuhang. A long time ago, an intelligent, fair-looking and kind-hearted girl lived in a poor family by the Xinjing Pond in Xuhang.
Her wedding was coming, but she could not even afford a pair of shoes and she was distressed at the possible embarrassment of getting married bare-footed. One day, when she grazed cattle on a riverside meadow, she could not help bursting into muffled tears. Suddenly, her old cow, which had accompanied her for years, licked her foot. The girl looked down and found that the cow had fetched a handful of golden colored straw for her. Inspired by this old companion, the girl wove the straw into a pair of beautiful sandals and later wore them at her wedding. This caused a sensation. Other girls started learning how to make straw sandals. To commemorate this ingenious girl who invented the straw-weaving art, local people renamed the village "Puxie Village" ("Straw-sandal Village") and honored the girl as the "Fairy of Straw-weaving".
In the beginning, Xuhang artisans focused on straw sandals (commonly known as "puxie"). Later, they expanded the scope to include other articles of daily use such as handbags, baskets, saucers, trays and cup holders.
Today, the straw-weaving art of Xuhang has become a great treasure of Chinese folk art.
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