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Zhangjiajie Brocade
Deep in the remote, mountainous region of Western Hunan Province lives one of the largest minority groups in China. They are called "Tujia," which literally means the "Soil Family."
The Tujia people are good at brocade weaving, an art that is over 1,500 years old.It uses yarn as warp and silk as weft. Tujia brocade is made on an ancient waist loom, using the "interweaving the intermittent warp and incessant weft" Method. The patterns, favoring landscapes, trees, flowers, and animals, reflect their paying homage to nature, and their deep love for life.
Tujia is an ethnic group that has been traditionally skilled at embroidery and textiles. Early in the Qin-Han period (221 BC-220 AD), Tujia ancestors were able to weave an exquisite cloth, the 'Zong cloth', which is a thin blue cloth, like damask silk. It was later called 'Xitong cloth' during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which was described in historical documents as a cloth made from threads of five colors, and looks bright and beautiful. It can be used for quilts, dresses or towels. After the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the textile technology of Tujia was further developed. 'Xilankapu', a kind of brocade woven with cotton and silk and with luxurious design and exquisite craftsmanship, gradually gained great prestige worldwide.
The brocade has two main varieties: Xilankapu (Tujia language) and striped floral cloth.
Xilankapu, also known as 'Knitting Floral Bedclothes,' is a Tujia masterpiece. Woven on a simple, ancient wooden waist loom via 12 procedures, this kind of brocade, thick and durable, simple but gorgeous, is reputed to be one of the three most famous brocades in southwestern China.
On weaving machines with narrow lathes, it is woven by hand, with blue, black, red, and white threads going lengthwise and, silk, cotton, and wool of many kinds of colors going across. It has an energetic structure, bright and beautiful colors, and unique patterns, showing significant artistry. It is the quintessence of Tujia folk art.
Xilankapu usually uses symbolizing and abstraction techniques, and straight-line, symmetrical succession modeling. There are two to three hundred kinds of traditional patterns, which can be roughly put into the following three categories: natural images, the geometric patterns and language.
Most of the traditional kinds of patterns are taken from the daily life of the Tujia, such as tiger stripes, leopard spots and deer, colorful golden pheasant feathers, clouds, waves and arched bridges. There are also butterflies chasing peonies, double phoenixes facing the sun, magpies singing on plum trees, and a party to escort the bride to the bridegroom's home. In recent years, they also introduced the patterns of waving dances, love between mother and son, sisters' dances, panda pictures and bright moon images.
These patterns are unique in design and honestly reflect the life, history and customs of the Tujia people. They are also a reflection of the Tujia's love of life. Xilankapu pays great attention to contrast and color to highlight the harmonious artistic effect -- colorful but not vulgar, clear, fresh and steady, and reflect the character of the Tujia -- bold, unconstrained and natural.
Striped floral cloth is a popular brocade among the Tujia. The uniqueness of it is its weaving method, which can be finished on the knees of the weaver, without using a loom.
According to legend, a Tujia girl called Xilan created Xilankapu. Xilan was clever and good at color knitting. In order to knit the gingko flowers in blossom at midnight on the brocade, she observed gingko at midnight for a very long time. Her jealous sister-in-law complained to her father-in-law father-in-law, and told him Xilan was meeting her lover for midnight trysts, something that would bring shame on the family. The old man took it seriously, and killed his daughter with his walking stick. The girls of Tujia remember Xilan, and have inherited her embroidery and knitting skills, and gave it the name 'Xilankapu'.
Tujia brocade boasts more than 400 designs that are all unique representations of Tujia culture. . The brocade has now gone to Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan and other countries. Tujia brocade stresses the creative process. The colors are bright and vibrant, with strong contrasts and symmetrical lines. It is also durable, and makes a great souvenir for tourists.
