The appearance of mats can be traced back to the Stone Age. From the ancient practice of "sitting on the ground" and "eating mats" to the later "sweeping the world", there are traces of mats. Reed mats, mats woven with reeds, have accompanied people's lives for thousands of years. The reed mat weaving technique can be regarded as a legacy of the Neolithic Age. It is a handicraft with a long historical span and the closest relationship with people's lives. Guziluo Village, Qinzhen, on the west bank of Fenghe River in Xi'an, is a traditional reed mat weaving village. Its mat weaving has a history of thousands of years. It is an intangible culture and a living culture. A few years ago, the fossil presented to the former Kuomintang Chairman - had the imprint of mats. Reed mat weaving requires 7-8 major processes from material selection, breaking wormwood, pluck leaves, grinding wormwood, weaving mats, polishing to finished products. It uses tools such as feather scrapers, pads, bowls, etc. It takes 100 reeds to weave a mat. The craftsmanship and procedures are very particular. Each process is rigorous. A good mat requires the best reeds, skilled techniques, and careful weaving by craftsmen to weave a dense, beautiful, and durable mat. Mat culture is closely related to people's lives. Mats and other by-products were essential items for families in the past. I believe that rural people who are a little older have relevant memories. Reed mats are strong and breathable. Every household in the countryside has a layer of reed mats on the earthen kang to isolate moisture and dissipate heat. Reed mats can be used to build vegetable sheds, and can be made into mat bags for storing grain and mat cages for storing miscellaneous items. Rural people use multiple mats for marriage. The top and feet of the carriage that picks up the bride must be covered with mats. The custom of the bride not touching the ground when she returns home also requires a new mat to rest on. "According to the size, there are two sizes: 75-mat and 65-mat." In the 1960s and 1970s, "weaving mats" has always been a matter of pride for the villagers of Guzilang Village, and it has also made the villagers in the surrounding villages envious. Because Guzilang is close to Fenghe River, in the past this area was mostly water land, and reeds were everywhere, which made every household in Guzilang weave mats. Weaving mats is the main source of income for a family, and generations have made a living by weaving mats. The busy market on North Street in Huxian County (now Huyi District) is full of mats from Guzilang. At the peak of prosperity, 80% of the village's labor force was engaged in weaving reed mats. The scene was very prosperous at that time. Not to mention during the day, every night the village was full of the sound of weaving mats. Purely handmade mat weaving takes a long time, and one person can only weave one mat in two days. "At that time, the whole village could produce 200 mats a day, which was not enough to sell." Reed mats were a must-have "luxury" in the countryside at that time. In the era when workers had a monthly salary of 20 to 30 yuan, the price of a mat was 8 yuan. Such a good livelihood made the villagers unwilling to do other jobs. Some of them went to work in factories because of recruitment, and would rather give up the good jobs in the eyes of others and return to the village to continue weaving mats for a living. At that time, there was a street dedicated to selling mats on the four most prosperous streets of Zhonglou in Huxian County (now Huyi District), and stalls were set up in Dawang Town on the double days of the lunar calendar. Bao Hengwu is the third-generation inheritor of reed mat weaving in Guzilang Village and the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage project in Xi'an. From his grandfather, father, to himself, this inheritance is a microcosm of the mat weaving skills passed down from generation to generation in each household in Guzilang Village. When Bao Hengwu was 13 years old, he learned mat weaving from his grandfather and father. At the age of 17, he became a good hand. He has been engaged in mat weaving for more than 40 years and is now committed to the inheritance of mat weaving. On the wall of Bao Hengwu's house, a black and white photo recorded the scene at that time. The reed mat "specialty street" was full of people. According to Bao Hengwu, at that time, it was impossible to weave enough, and they were sold out before leaving Huxian County. Because Guzilang Village has the skill of mat weaving, it is easy for young men to find wives. With the development of society, reed mats have gradually withdrawn from people's daily lives. Few people use them anymore. With the replacement of earthen kangs with beds, Simmons mattresses and bamboo mats, traditional mats are of little use. Their commodity attributes are getting smaller and smaller. This traditional skill is gradually disappearing and is facing the risk of being lost. In contrast, its cultural attributes are becoming more and more prominent. Currently, no one is engaged in this business. Only Bao Hengwu and several elderly people of the same age are working on matters related to the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage projects. Fortunately, the millet millet reed mat weaving technique has been announced as an intangible cultural heritage protection project in Xi'an in 2014, creating certain conditions for its inheritance. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)