摘要：The traditional spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery techniques of Li brocade are a millennia-old handicraft heritage of the

The traditional spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery techniques of Li brocade are a millennia-old handicraft heritage of the Li ethnic group in China’s Hainan Province. In 2006, they were included in the country’s first group of national intangible cultural heritage. This craftsmanshipencompasses four core processes—spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery—epitomizing the wisdom and aesthetics of the Li people.

Li women employ waist looms for spinning, using raw materials like wild kapok and ramie. The dyeing process is particularly distinctive, utilizing wild plants such as Areca catechu, sappanwood, maple leaves, and indigo grass to extract natural dyes. Techniques like immersion dyeing and tie-dyeingare employed toproduce earthy tones such as brown, blue, and yellow. During weaving, artisans use the waist loom’s heddle rod to integrate abstract geometric patterns into the brocade. Iconic motifs include human figures, frogs, and dragon quilt patterns, which embody ancestral worship and reverence for nature. Embroidery, decorated with plain ramie threads or colorful silk floss, features vivid patterns and striking color contrasts.

As one of China’s oldest cotton textile techniques, Li brocade can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c. 1600-256 BC) some 3,000 years ago. Its technical system significantly influenced Huang Daopo’s improvement to Jiangnan textile technology in the late Song Dynasty(960-1279), earning Li brocade the reputation of a “living fossil” in Chinese textile history. Today, through initiatives like training intangible cultural heritage inheritors, developing cultural and creative products, and digital documentation, the cultural gene of Li brocade has been preserved, enabling its unique artistic style to continuously radiate new vitality.

Li brocade handbags, scarves, pillowcases, earrings... In addition to the essential daily items of the past, Li brocade is now taking on newer forms, helping Li communities weave a better life.

We must strengthen support for the inheritance of national cultural treasures and the protection of intangible cultural heritage. We must deepen research into the history and culture of ethnic minorities to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

监制:蔚力

策划:丁素云

文案:杨俊康

来源：中国网一点号