The bamboo weaving work Nine Dragon Screen won the gold medal at the China Arts and Crafts “Hundred Flowers Award”.

（Photo/Gong Mingwei）

One of the traditional handicrafts in Zhejiang’s Dongyang city, Dongyang Bamboo Weaving has a history of more than 1,200 years. According to the Annals of Dongyang County, compiled during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1772), “the bamboos here are soft and can be made into various utensils, which, in the past, were sent to the imperial court as tribute”, a clear indication that the bamboo weaving technique was already quite mature at that time. Over thousands of years, this traditional craft has been passed down from generation to generation, a symbol of Dongyang people’s perseverance and bold innovation. 

With a unique style, Dongyang Bamboo Weaving combines a range of techniques including heat embossing, printing, and engraving to produce daily necessities such as baskets, frames, and pans, perfectly showing the charm of the bamboos. These bamboo products are a perfect combination of life and art, as artistic and auspicious meanings are also incorporated.

Dongyang Bamboo Weaving

He Fuli is a representative master of the Dongyang Bamboo Weaving craft. Innovative and highly experienced, He has created many works over the years, some of which, such as Lady with the Zither, Monkey King Subdues the White-Bone Demon, and Dragon and Phoenix Lamps have received multiple awards. Nine Dragon Screen, a bamboo weaving work created by He in 1983, was even written into the Annals of Dongyang City, because of the varied weaving techniques and the work’s uniqueness.  

"How to develop the craft, so that bamboo weaving can prosper is a question that’s most worth thinking about at present," said Master He. For He, to pass on traditional culture and crafts, education of the younger generation is the key. As long as people are willing to learn the craft of bamboo weaving, he will teach them everything he knows without reservation. Indeed, it is the ideals, the dedication, and the commitment of people like Master He that will eventually encourage the younger generation to carry on China’s intangible cultural heritage.