BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- In Zhengcheng, a small town located at the hinterland of Yimeng mountain area in southeast Shandong, folk cloth handcrafts such as tiger head hats and shoes are regaining favor from locals as they rekindle their memory of sweet childhoods.
Nowadays, tiger head-shaped hats and shoes and other cloth handcrafts including pouches and little ornaments embroidered with cute patterns can be spotted regularly in Zhengcheng, also the hometown of Zengzi, a Chinese philosopher and student of Confucius.
As a typical representative of traditional folk clothing and accessories for children in China, tiger head-shaped hats and shoes usually embody people's wishes for a joyful and safe life and have long been fond of by local villagers.
In Yimeng mountain area, making tiger head-shaped shoes and hats for children before the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival remains a traditional custom for locals.
As local inheritors of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH)-making technique, Shao Zeying and Li Jingfeng from Fumin New Village and Han Jinxiang from Wucheng Village are all master makers of the lifelike tiger head-shaped hats and shoes.
Every year before the Spring Festival, Han Jinxiang's home is often crowded with villagers eager to order tiger head-shaped shoes and hats for their children.
They, who usually sit around Han Jinxiang and talk about their daily life, truly enjoy the skillful needlework of the ICH inheritor. (Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
A single purchase
