BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Willow weaving, a craft with around 1,000 years of history in east China's Linshu County, is gaining more and more presence across the world under the dedicated and unremitting efforts of local craftsmen.
Having exhibited products on many exhibitions at home and abroad such as the China Import and Export Fair, Yang Jinbang, a local willow weaving master, saw his original handwoven willow products of more than 1 billion U.S. dollars exported to countries and regions around the world.
The photo shows furniture woven with wickers.
As a representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage program and intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province, Yang has always been contributing to the spreading of willow weaving craft of Linshu County to the outside world together with other local willow weaving-related model workers, researchers, masters and industry promoters.
Grown up in the hometown of willows, Yang has learned at the age of 13 lots of willow weaving methods and techniques from his grandfather and father who always told him to well inherit and make local willow weaving craft flourish in the world.
Since 1976, Yang began to focus on designing export-oriented handwoven willow products and created from then thousands of exquisite handwoven willow handicrafts such as fruit plate, lantern and golden arowana woven with willows, of which many won national awards and were showcased on national arts and crafts exhibitions.
The photo shows wicker products for drying.
Delving deeply into the sector for more than 40 years, Yang kept exploring new materials, new weaving methods, new technique, new designs and new usage of willow weaving to rejuvenate the craft and collected more than 10,000 of practical samples and 30,000-plus sample pictures.
Honoring his promise to inherit and spread the willow weaving culture with actual practices, Yang helped the 1,000-year-long intangible cultural heritage of Linshu County go out of China and step onto the world stage.
The photo shows Yang Jinbang teaches willow weaving techniques to people.
Currently, exports of handwoven willow products from Linshu County in Linyi City of Shandong Province have accounted for about 40 percent and 26 percent of the comparable aggregate in the province and the whole country, making it a reputed capital of willow weaving in China. (Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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