Majiang Miao Brocade Weaving Technique

Guizhou
🎧  Listen to Introduction

The Miao brocade in Guizhou Province has a history of more than 700 years. Before the 1990s, Miao brocade was passed down from mother to daughter and was popular. There are two main types of Miao brocade in Majiang County: brocade cloth and flower belt. Brocade cloth is generally more than one foot wide; flower belts vary in width according to their use, ranging from five to six centimeters wide to only two to three centimeters narrow, and the length is also determined according to needs. The silk yarn used in Miao brocade is divided into plain and colored yarns, and the colored yarns can be five colors. Brocade patterns are mostly derived from production and life, with free and flexible decorative patterns as the main body. The main body is geometric figures, with large diamonds as the frame. Various patterns and patterns are connected to each other and cover the whole picture. The overall pattern is regular and compact, full and symmetrical, and beautiful. There are two types of Miao brocade in Leishan County: hand-woven and machine-woven, and hand-woven is the main type. The so-called hand-woven is to tie one end of the brocade belt to a fixed tree trunk and the other end to the weaver's belt, and then use the heald to weave the warp and weft on the brocade belt. Only two heddles are needed to weave plain cloth, usually black and white threads can be used; brocade requires at least five heddles, with warp and weft interweaving to show a pattern with a strong sense of three-dimensionality. In general, Miao brocade is woven on the reverse side, with the pattern on the front side, and red and green, black and white threads are used alternately to create the interlacing of colors, achieving the harmonious unity of the pattern in the contrast. Miao brocade is an indispensable item in the life of the Miao people, and is mostly used as fabrics for clothes, waistbands, straps, backpacks, belts, etc. It reflects the history and social form of the Miao people and has academic research value. The brocade itself has exquisite composition, flexible and changeable patterns, coordinated and symmetrical, strong three-dimensional sense, and has extremely high aesthetic research value. Since Miao brocade is all woven by hand, it is time-consuming and laborious, and the younger generation of Miao people likes to wear Han costumes and is unwilling to wear their own ethnic costumes, so there are not many people engaged in Miao brocade weaving now, and there are very few people who are interested in and willing to learn. Currently, this unique handicraft is on the verge of extinction. Only a very small number of middle-aged and elderly women are able to master it. Protecting the Miao brocade weaving technique has become a top priority.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage