Straw mat

Straw mat

　　　　Product Name: Straw Mat

　　Place of Origin: Guanmei Town, Cangnan County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province

　　Product Features: Stylish and attractive design, soft and comfortable.

　　Product Benefits: Portable, and provides warmth in winter and coolness in summer.

　　Product Introduction: The raw materials used for weaving straw mats have been cultivated in various areas of Wenzhou for a long time. During the Qing Dynasty, apart from supplying the local market, the linen-reinforced straw mats and printed mats produced in Wenzhou were also sold throughout the province and beyond. In the early 1980s, the planting area exceeded 660 hectares, but later decreased due to declining economic returns. Wenzhou also has abundant resources of dragon beard grass, which is used to make mats and pillow mats that are cool and comfortable, and sell well both domestically and internationally. Dragon beard grass can also be woven into exported handicrafts to earn foreign exchange.

　　Product History: Zhaoqing City, located in the central-western part of Guangdong Province, is a famous scenic tourist city and a historical and cultural landmark. Zhaoqing boasts abundant local products, among which the most renowned is the Duan Inkstone, one of the “Four Treasures of the Study.” In addition, Zhaoqing straw mats (also known as floral mats) are also a relatively well-known specialty with a long history. The material used to weave straw mats—bulrush—was introduced to Gaoyao (where Zhaoqing was then the county seat of Gaoyao) from Fujian in the mid-Ming Dynasty. Due to the fine, soft, and tough nature of the locally grown bulrush, the straw mats woven from it are comfortable to the touch, warm in winter and cool in summer, and highly durable, making them practically valuable and thus popular bedding items. When dyed, the bulrush can be woven into a rich variety of patterns, and the resulting mats are called floral mats. Their patterns are simple yet elegant, offering not only practicality but also certain artistic value, making them authentic local handicrafts. For many years, Zhaoqing straw mats were popular in markets both at home and abroad. In 1967, the local purchase volume of floral mats reached 2.088 million pieces. Today, as bedding options have become increasingly diverse, the market for straw mats has gradually declined. However, for many visitors to Zhaoqing, local floral mats remain one of their shopping choices during their travels.