XINING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) — Yang Yongliang, a practitioner of the millennium-old Jiaya Tibetan carpet weaving craft from northwest China’s Qinghai Province, has taken on a brand new function as a technical guide for an area carpet manufacturing unit, which he undertakes alongside his work to hold on the traditional type of intangible cultural heritage.
“The more people who learn this craft, the better chance we have to keep our ethnic culture alive and preserve this ancient skill for future generations,” Yang mentioned from a manufacturing unit workshop belonging to the Shengyuan carpet group, one of many largest Tibetan carpet producers in China, positioned in Xining, the provincial capital.
With a historical past of greater than 2,000 years, Tibetan carpet is a standard handicraft on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In 2006, the Jiaya Tibetan carpet weaving expertise have been inscribed in China’s first group of nationwide intangible cultural heritage objects.
According to Yang, Jiaya Tibetan carpets are primarily characterised by darkish tones, and are constructed from pure wool and high-quality yak hair which can be produced regionally in Qinghai. The carpets will not be solely sturdy but additionally environmentally pleasant, he added.
Once a family necessity for heat, Tibetan carpets are discovering new life within the markets of at this time, with native authorities help and enterprise participation enabling the mixing of conventional craftsmanship with modern design.
In a Shengyuan workshop, workers skillfully trim the machine-woven patterns, bringing once-flat designs to life. “Machines take care of most of the basic weaving to boost efficiency, while skilled artisans finish the rest by hand, giving every carpet its own distinctive character,” mentioned Che Guolong, who manages the corporate’s design and analysis division.
The design staff additionally research conventional Tibetan carpet patterns and, with assistance from synthetic intelligence, has a financial institution of tens of 1000’s of designs. By integrating trendy design parts, they’ve developed carpets with three-dimensional patterns, glowing motifs and different modern options.
With improved high quality and modern designs, the manufacturing unit’s Tibetan carpets have discovered markets throughout China and greater than 40 different nations and areas, together with Italy, Japan and the United States. In the primary half of this 12 months, its export income elevated by greater than 8 p.c, with annual exports remaining regular at above 80 million yuan (about 11.3 million U.S. {dollars}).
“Besides passing down the handcrafting skills, for us, inheritance also means carrying forward the spirit and culture behind them,” mentioned Xue Ting, the corporate’s chairperson. She believes that Tibetan carpets will not be solely a type of artwork but additionally a service of cultural expression, and that it is just by holding tempo with the instances and constructing on custom that the Tibetan carpet trade can go even additional.
From cultural heritage workshops to good factories, and from safeguarding custom to embracing innovation, Tibetan carpet merchandise have expanded from a handful of unique varieties to about 28 sequence and over 100 differing types. Local authorities have launched measures to advertise industrial upgrading and high-quality growth, and have cultivated a talented team of workers to fulfill labor demand.
In current years, Yang has additionally held courses in Xining and its surrounding areas, educating greater than 200 college students the artwork of Tibetan carpet weaving.
“I have been in this craft for 40 years. I once thought of myself simply an artisan,” Yang mentioned. “But now, with the government placing greater emphasis on Tibetan carpets, I am determined to find every possible way to preserve and promote this traditional skill.”