At the first floor of a Chinese style three-story building in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Li Donglian exhibited how to weave a piece of Zhuang brocade cloth before a weaving machine.

With her hands moving forward and backward and her feet stamping on footboards, an array of a thousand white strings dangling down from a bamboo cage moved up and down in front of her face, bringing another array of a thousand blue strings up and down.

From time to time, her hands skillfully thread colorful threads through the lifted array of blue strings, and when the strings fall, beautiful patterns are made onto plain blue cloth.

As one of Chinese four famous brocades, Zhuang brocade is a traditional handcraft skill of Zhuang people, the largest minority group in Guangxi, who passed the skill from generation to generation since the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).

Zhuang brocade, known for its abundant colors and delicate patterns, is seen as the “living fossil” of Zhuang culture. In 2006, it was inscribed in the national intangible cultural heritage list. 

“I learned how to weave Zhuang brocade from my mother when I was little,” said Li, a 36-year-old Zhuang woman born in Banchitun, a village in southern Guangxi, where almost every native Zhuang household has an old weaving machine.

Traditionally, Zhuang girls should prepare their dowry with Zhuang brocade by their own and their mother, so girls must learn how to weave Zhuang brocade since childhood. Li, for example, prepared five Zhuang brocade quilt covers by herself as her dowry for as long as three years.

Li had been doing farm in her village and taking Zhuang brocade an interest to develop. “Zhuang weaver cannot rely on weaving for a living,” said Li. She used her index finger and thumb measuring about 10 centimeters on the cloth, meaning that a day of work produces this long.

It was until 2014 that Li was employed as a Zhuang brocade weaver at Jinzhuangjin, a Zhuang brocade producing company based in Nanning, as she has 20 years of Zhuang brocade weaving experience.

“It is very difficult to do Zhuang brocade industry,” said He Ka, founder of Jinzhuangjin company. She explained that as the process of weaving Zhuang brocade is too complicated and lonely, and a new learner must pay a lot of time to command the skill, few young people in the cities want to do it.

Once worked at a county-level cultural affairs bureau, He Ka often visited villages to discover and salvage local intangible culture. She found that many weavers were of their 50s or 60s. They may spend a month to make a traditional Zhuang brocade bag, but can hardly sell it even at a very low price of dozens of yuan, or about ten U.S. dollars.

Traditional Zhuang brocade was made of thick cotton strings and only have limited usages, such as making a quilt cover or a traditional cloth bag, which citizens seldom use in their daily life. “People love Zhuang brocade, but do not know what does it used for,” said He, adding that the traditional Zhuang brocade was usually regarded as artwork for gifting.

Only when Zhuang brocade being accepted by the market did it survive. When He founded her company in 2004, she also made traditional Zhuang brocade. But as she knew more about the market's taste, she improved products by changing designs and materials and making products more diversified.

“We continuously invest in creative designing, combing traditional and fashionable elements in Zhuang brocade,” said He, “Cashmere and mulberry silk are also used in our products, which make products more exquisite and soft.”

The market recognizes the improved Zhuang brocade products. A scarf produced by Jinzhuangjin company, for instance, is sold at a price of hundreds of yuan, or one hundred U.S. dollars, and some high-end scarfs as high as up to two thousands yuan. “Every time a batch of dozens of scarfs come out, they are sold out immediately,” said He.

Some orders even come from abroad. A friend of He is an Italian of Chinese descendent, who once brought some Zhuang brocade scarfs to Italy to present to her Italian friends. It was unexpected that Italians very like it, among whom an Italian businesswoman especially came to China to visit He's shop. Afterwards, orders from Italy are placed from time to time.

Although the improved Zhuang brocade products are welcomed, He still worried about the future of Zhuang brocade.

“Many Zhuang people don't know the meaning of patterns on Zhuang brocade nowadays. We are losing this culture,” said He, “It is important to save our cultural symbol. And the folk force can play a role.”

To make the production of Zhuang brocade sustainable, local government and He's company cooperated to set up training classes in some villages in Guangxi, gathering those who can or have the willingness to make Zhuang brocade. 

After taking the classes for one to three months, the qualified learners will be provided with materials, such as cotton strings, silk and cashmere, and designated patterns designed by the company, to make Zhuang brocade at home in their spare time. The company then collected the finished brocade by meters every half month or every month.

“Among about 120 households in Banchitun, more than 40 households have participated in the training class,” said He, “They averagely can earn 1,000 yuan per month by making Zhuang brocade after training.”

Schools also joined the cause of protecting Zhuang brocade. Since 2012, Guangxi Textile Industry School sets up the course on Zhuang brocade, bringing weaving machine and weaving skills into the classroom. 

“We should exert more effort to train young people, one by one,” said He, “They are like tinders, who will pass Zhuang brocade culture on.”

Photographer：Chen Kairan

Videoeditor：Shen Anqi