China’s traditional bamboo weaving artworks become more popular by adding ancient glamor

As a son of the representative inheritor of Dongyang Bamboo Weaving, He Hongliang has not only inherited exquisite craftsmanship and special techniques, but has also skillfully integrated these traditions into everyday orders, fueling the long-lasting popularity of bamboo weaving artworks among a more diverse range of consumers.

He Fuli in his eighties is a representative inheritor of Dongyang Bamboo Weaving rooted in Dongyang City of east China’s Zhejiang Province.

Over 60 years of dedication to bamboo weaving have transformed He Fuli from a novice craftsman into a national-level bamboo weaving master.

Ever since childhood, He Fuli’s two sons have been learning bamboo weaving. Now, they’re the mainstays of the bamboo weaving workshop.

“During early visits to the Forbidden City, I studied the Fanhuang bamboo carving and swastika patterns, which we gradually incorporated into our products. The results were excellent,” said He Hongliang, elder son of He Fuli.

In addition to the masterpiece “Miles-long Dowry,” He Hongliang and his father have created round boxes and baskets symbolizing happiness.

Incorporating both Fanhuang bamboo carving and swastika patterns and motifs, these have become popular wedding gifts.

“These products are needed tomorrow for a wedding. The baskets are meant to be passed down through the generations. They feature bamboo mats with the swastika patterns, a royal motif, symbolizing health. Dongyang people used to rent these items for weddings, but now they’re affluent enough to purchase and pass them down through generations. With orders flooding in, there’s plenty of work to go round. With the popularity of the artworks, the preservation of the bamboo weaving craft can be guaranteed,” He Hongliang said.

Emergency crews are stepping up efforts to help rural residents remove the sludge brought by floods to their homes, and all town hospitals have resumed services in Jianchang County of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, which was hit hard by torrential rain-triggered floods last week.

Jianchang has borne the brunt of the torrential rain that started pounding the greater Huludao City last Monday. Many rural homes sustained serious damage, thousands of people had to evacuate to temporary shelters, and entire villages were left without electricity, water and internet services.

For the past week, emergency crews from across the province have been repairing the county’s infrastructure, cleaning up, disinfecting and reinforcing villagers’ homes for the evacuees to get back to their homes as soon as possible.

Post-disaster relief and recovery efforts have picked up pace in the county’s Datun Town in the past two days, with crews working against the clock to remove the sludge and debris from residential homes while ensuring the houses are safe to live in again.

Meanwhile, a medical facility in Yangshuwanzi Town is among Jianchang’s 27 damaged town hospitals that have resumed services after the restoration of electricity and water supply and telecommunication services. It still serves as a temporary shelter for evacuated villagers. “Our hospital is now well stocked with drugs such as those used for diarrhea, chronic diseases, and disinfection as well as other common medicine. We’ve distributed them to all the village clinics to meet people’s needs in emergency situations. As we speak, the hospital still doubles as a shelter for the evacuees and rescuers, and we will continue to provide them with food and accommodation. All cleanup and disinfection work has completed on the hospital’s infrastructure and it has already resumed operation,” said Wang Haiwei, president of the hospital in Yangshuwanzi Town.

As of Monday, all the 31 town hospitals in Jianchang have resumed operation.