Straw Weaving (草编)

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of wheat straw?【小题1】, However, Wu Cui, an intangible cultural inheritor, can turn the straw left over from harvested wheat into beautiful and eye-catching functional artworks.

·The Origin of Straw Weaving

【小题2】 The Book of Rites, one of the classical works of Confucianism, also records that there were already mats made of cattail grass and professional straw-weaving craftsmen during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century—256 BC).

·The Process of Straw Weaving

Straw weaving is a method of manufacturing daily items or artworks. Wu explains the process of straw weaving: selection of materials is the first step of a complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can take weeks, or even months, to complete. You need to sketch (素描) the piece on paper, which requires drawing skills. 【小题3】Even by finishing that process, it does not mean that you will always create a good piece of work, and the hardest part is to make it lifelike.

·The Current Situation of Straw Weaving

【小题4】 But due to the impact of industrialization, manufactured goods have replaced such products, which yield low profits, and there are only about 100 individuals engaging in the work across the country. “The world has changed, and craftsmen need to transcend practicality and pursue the beauty and artistry of straw culture to help the craft survive and thrive,” Wu says.

·The Future of Straw Weaving

From her perspective, straw weaving should respond to people’s needs and preferences, while still drawing inspiration from traditional culture. 【小题5】she says. When asked about her plans, Wu says she wants to dig deeper into local traditional culture and create cultural creative products by developing the straw-weaving technique.