Straw braid (Laizhou straw braid)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: straw braid (Laizhou straw braid)

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Project No.: 830

Project No.: Ⅶ - 54

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Shandong Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Protection unit: Laizhou Cultural Center

Introduction to straw braid (Laizhou straw braid)

Applicant: Laizhou City, Shandong Province

Straw weaving is a traditional weaving craft with herbs as the main raw materials. As one of the oldest skills of human beings, as early as in ancient times, weaving has become an important means for Chinese ancestors to make practical goods. Straw weaving has been popular among Chinese people for thousands of years, and has been carried forward in this process. Folk craftsmen all over the country made full use of the flexible stems, skins, cores, leaves and roots of herbaceous plants to create and summarize rich weaving techniques such as weaving, tying, braiding, buckling, tying, twisting, winding, netting, stringing and plate, making straw weaving an important source of daily necessities for the general public. China is rich in herbaceous plant resources, and there are many suitable raw materials for weaving in the north and south, so there are many kinds of straw weaving in different places, and each has its own local characteristics. Straw products are mainly made of straw mat, straw curtain, straw mat, straw basket, straw fan, straw hat, straw shoes and other practical goods, and some are also used as ornaments for display. Since 1840s, straw weaving has been sold abroad. Since the middle of the 20th century, due to the needs of modern life, straw weaving has developed rapidly, with more and more varieties. As a very popular traditional handicraft among Chinese people, straw weaving has a broad mass base and strong practicability and artistry.

Laizhou straw braid is a traditional knitting handicraft popular in Laizhou City, Shandong Province. It originated in the countryside of Shahe Town, Laizhou, and has a history of 1500 years. According to the annals of Laizhou City, the grass braids along Shahe in the Ming Dynasty spread in China through Zhili, Yuzhou and other places. After the Opium War, Laizhou straw braid became one of the earliest commodities for China to enter the western market. It won a special award at the Pacific Panama Expo held in San Francisco, and was known as "the world's best straw braid". Laizhou grass braid weaving techniques can be divided into three grass pinching methods, five grass pinching methods and seven grass pinching methods. But generally speaking, all kinds of pinching methods are basically thumb pinching the front, index finger pinching the back, and then pressing and picking. A few straws fly up and down in the hands of the draftsmen, and quickly turn into beautiful works of art. The skill is excellent. Since the middle of the 20th century, Laizhou straw braid has developed rapidly. Yixin and Yuxin two professional factories have been established in Laizhou. The number of pattern varieties of straw braid has increased to more than 2000. People from all over the country have come to Shahe to learn the craft of straw braid. In Laizhou, grass braid has become the main source of income for many farmers, which has made a great contribution to the development of rural economy in Laizhou.