Gonghe cattail weaving technique is a traditional technique project in the second batch of representative projects of Huai'an's municipal intangible cultural heritage. Cattail is an aquatic perennial herb. The aboveground stems at the base of the plant are shortened, and underground runners are drawn from its leaf axils. The runners extend in the soil and water and give rise to new plants. The white and tender part of the cattail stem (i.e. cattail leaf) and the tender part at the tip of the underground runner (i.e. grass bud) can be eaten, and the taste is refreshing and delicious. The mature runners and shortened stems can be cooked or used as feed. Male flower pollen is commonly known as "cattail yellow", which has medicinal and nourishing functions. Cattail is an important raw material for papermaking and artificial cotton, and can also be used to weave cattail mats, cushions and other daily necessities. Gonghe cattail weaving technique is mainly distributed in the surrounding areas of Hongze Lake, with Gonghe Town, Hongze County being the most representative, and began to flourish during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Cattail can be woven into cattails (for bedding or packaging), cattail mats, cattail fans, cattail bags and other items. According to the items to be woven, cattails of appropriate length and width are selected and woven using the jumping flower method. Cattails need to use six fire hemp ropes as tendons, while cattail mats and cattail bags need to be woven using the jumping two flower method. Cattails are generally harvested at the end of September, but when people choose cattails for weaving, they should be harvested at the right time according to their needs. Cattail fans are generally harvested in mid-May, because the size of cattail stems at this time is consistent, which is conducive to weaving cattail fans, and cattails harvested in May are durable. At the end of September, the harvest volume of cattail is high, and cattails at this time are easy to store, which is suitable for weaving a large number of cattails. Because people use cattails as bedding in winter, which is both warm and hygienic, and cattails are also insect-resistant, cattails have become the first choice for people to use as bedding in winter. In addition, cattails are also used as packaging supplies, such as glass and other shockproof items. Cattails are used as packaging tools for transportation. When using cattails to weave cattails, the length is determined according to the width of the cattails. The thickness can be mixed and used for weaving. The cattail scraps used for weaving cattails can be used to weave cattail bags. Different sizes of materials can be used to weave cattail bags of different sizes, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies to store Chinese herbal medicines. It is breathable and not easy to mold, which can preserve Chinese herbal medicines for a long time. The weaving of cattail fans is more particular than that of cattails and cattail bags. The cattails are harvested and dried first, and the thickness is separated. Because the cattail fans are woven without thickness, the patterns of the cattail fans are different in size, which affects the beauty of the fans and makes them difficult to sell. Cattail fans are not only tools for people to cool off, but also ideal items for farmers to cool off during the confinement period in summer. Because cattail fans are breathable, light and flexible, they can be used as cushions at any time when going out in summer, and are very popular. There is a ballad that goes: "A small cattail fan is one foot long. One person can fan two people to cool down. Although the fan is ugly, it is very useful. It can fan the wind and block the sun." The cattail weaving technique in Gonghe is the crystallization of the wisdom of the local working people. With the continuous expansion of its scope of use, it has developed from bedroom bedding, cattail fans, and cattail baskets to storage bags for traditional Chinese medicine warehouses, and transport bags for crabs and lobsters from Hongze Lake. This makes cattail products not only have technical value, but also have high economic value. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)