Historical evolution Reed mats are made of reeds, and are made into production and living utensils through processes such as splitting, soaking, rolling and weaving. In our city, the reed mat weaving technique is mainly distributed in areas near rivers and lakes such as Xuyi and Hongze, where reeds are abundant. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, local people made a living by weaving reed mats, which has a history of nearly 400 years. Basic content To weave reed mats, first of all, according to the specifications and quality requirements of the reed mats to be woven, select reeds with uniform thickness, good color, and consistent reed flexibility. The reed stems are straight, the reed skin is light yellow, and the reed wall is thinner. Then use a bamboo knife to split it into 25 pieces, which is splitting, and tie it into bundles, immerse it in water, and soak it for about half an hour. Then spread the fully soaked reed strips on a hard and flat field, and roll them back and forth with a stone roller, turning them over twice, until the reed strips are pressed as soft as leather strips. According to the length of the reed strips, they are divided into "first reed", "second reed", "third reed", "short reed", etc., and they are bundled separately. When weaving mats, each type of reed strips has its own different use parts. The structure of reed mats is generally divided into three parts: mat flower, large pattern and edge flower. There are many kinds of mat flowers. The most common ones are kang mat flower (double pattern), three-pattern mat flower, herringbone mat flower, cross mat flower, triangular mat flower, etc. Weaving reed mats mainly follows three steps: stepping on the corner, mat center, and edge closing. The first is stepping on the corner. Start with 5 reed strips, here we use the "three reeds" mentioned above, align them, and use one reed strip as the "root" and the other as the "tip" when weaving. The "root" and "tip" are used alternately. The second is to weave the mat center. Different weaving methods are used according to different patterns: there are pick one and press one method, pick two and press two methods, pick one and press one method every two methods, pick two and press three and then lift four methods, etc. During the weaving process, the gestures should always be kept consistent, usually with the left hand lifting and the right hand pressing. Also, in the process of weaving, you must pay attention to the tightness of the mat pattern step by step, and use the mat prying knife to squeeze it tight at any time. Only in this way can you weave a high-quality reed mat that is loved by people. The last step is folding the edges. Also called nest edges and prying edges, it is the last process in reed mat weaving; there are stewed mats, relaxed mats, pressed edge mats, etc. After the edges are folded, flattened, and the reed mat is ready. The general requirements for the finished product are that the four sides are even, the mat patterns are tight, and the size is sufficient. The finished reed mat can be used to lay kangs, dry grain, cover stacks to shelter from rain, and can also be used as grain storage to store grain. The hand-woven reed mat technique is the crystallization of the wisdom of the working people in production and life. It is finely crafted, economical and practical, and has made certain contributions to promoting local economic development. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)