BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) --Donggaoyu Village at Junan County of Linyi City in east China’s Shandong Province, known as "China's comb village", has a profound history of comb-making that spans over 300 years. The villager Ding Mingwen, who is the designated successor of the city-level intangible cultural heritage of Donggaoyu's comb-making technique, has revitalized the village through the comb-making business.
Ding Mingwen has played a major role in preserving this intangible heritage. He has conducted over 60 training courses, teaching over 300 people comb production skills. Meanwhile, he has established the Junan County Intangible Culture Exhibition & Sales Center and the Donggaoyu Wooden Comb Cooperative. These serve as platforms for cultural and tourism commodity producers to showcase and sell their products, foster exchanges, and facilitate research and development within and beyond Junan County.
With the aim of cultural innovation, Ding Mingwen founded Linyi Queqiao Crafts Co., Ltd. and started livestreaming on e-commerce platforms. This has led to the introduction of various comb styles and materials, and significantly extended the brand influence of Donggaoyu wooden combs.
Currently, Donggaoyu combs come in over a dozen categories. The production has been scaling up with more than 30 manufacturers, creating jobs for over 3,000 villagers. The annual output is nearly 50 million combs, accounting for 70 percent of China's total. These combs are exported to many countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, giving a strong boost to the village economy. (Edited by Yang Linlin with Xinhua Silk Road, 15036033666@163.com)
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