Yongchun Painted Bamboo Basket

Yongchun Painted Bamboo Basket

The Yongchun painted bamboo basket is a geographical indication protected product.

　　The Yongchun painted bamboo basket is exquisitely crafted, watertight, and virtually unbreakable even when dropped. Its lid can support the weight of a person over 100 jin (approximately 50 kg) standing on it without budging. The entire basket is delicate, ingeniously designed, and shines brilliantly. Its production is meticulous, involving more than 20 types of raw materials. It primarily uses gold foil, fine bamboo strips, raw lacquer, tung oil, summer cloth, and starch flour, and goes through more than 30 production processes. There are over 100 varieties in different sizes, including large multi-layered ones with a diameter of 42 cm and a height of 72 cm that can hold two to three kilograms of items. They can be carried by hand or on a shoulder pole. During festivals, when filled with food and hung from well-ventilated beams, they serve as a hygienic and uniquely distinctive “hanging food cabinet.”

　　The painted bamboo basket is a traditional, practical handicraft from Yongchun, originating during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. Made from more than 20 materials such as bamboo strips, tung oil putty, summer cloth, raw lacquer, and starch flour, and refined through over 30 production steps, the basket features an elegant shape, luxurious decoration, solid durability, and resistance to fading, deformation, acid, alkali, and heat. It has a unique style and is divided into four main categories: sacred baskets, lattice baskets, flat baskets, and lacquered trays. These are both handicrafts and daily-use items. The products have been exhibited in over 20 countries, including Italy, Poland, and Japan, and are sold both domestically and internationally.

　　It is reported that the Yongchun painted bamboo basket has a history of nearly 500 years and has been included in the Fujian Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Works List. Its production process is complex, comprising five craftsmanship types and 39 production procedures: basket frame making (bamboo weaving), ash coating, painting, relief carving, and drawing. The quality characteristics are closely related to the origin’s raw materials and specific production techniques. In addition, the market for Yongchun painted bamboo baskets is very broad, with an annual output value of approximately 30 million yuan. In addition to being widely popular in southern Fujian, it is also exported to Southeast Asia as well as Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other regions.

　　Yongchun Painted Bamboo Basket

　　The production area of the Yongchun painted bamboo basket covers the current administrative region of Yongchun County, Fujian Province.

　　 “Yongchun County People's Government Request for Defining the Geographical Indication Product Protection Area of Yongchun Painted Bamboo Basket,” Yongzheng Wen [2013] No. 149

　　 Yongchun County Longshui Painted Bamboo Basket Craft Co., Ltd. Enterprise Standard: Q/YCQL001~2-2012 “Yongchun Painted Bamboo Basket”