Sun Village Bamboo Weaving

Sun Village Bamboo Weaving

　　In Sun Village, Shakouzhen Town, all 185 households are engaged in bamboo weaving production, and the bamboo products they make are famous within a hundred-mile radius. In 1992, the village was awarded the title of “Specialized Bamboo Weaving Village” by the Tai’an Municipal People’s Government.

　　The development of bamboo weaving in Sun Village began in the 1930s. Legend has it that a bamboo weaver from Zhejiang named Li Luojiang, who came to the area begging during a famine, was taken in by a local villager named Sun Hongming. The two became sworn brothers, and Li passed on his bamboo weaving skills to the Sun family, which gradually spread throughout the village. Initially, villagers mainly engaged in bamboo weaving during the winter idle season, producing rough items such as bamboo mats, bamboo screens, and bamboo cage covers. These products were sold door-to-door to earn some extra cash. After the implementation of the household responsibility system, productivity was greatly liberated, and the bamboo weaving industry in the village developed rapidly. Bamboo products evolved from rough processing to fine craftsmanship, from simple items to more complex handicrafts such as bamboo curtains, bamboo fan surfaces, bamboo ornaments, and bamboo hangings. The variety of products also expanded from a single type to over twenty different kinds. Production increased from just a few hundred items per year to over 500,000 items annually, making it a key industry for villagers to achieve prosperity.

　　All raw materials for Sun Village bamboo products are selected from southern bamboo. The village purchases bamboo annually from designated areas in Zhejiang and Anhui, choosing different types such as moso bamboo, steel bamboo, and water bamboo based on production needs. Materials are generally procured after autumn and before early winter, with peak production taking place in winter and spring, while sales occur in summer and autumn. Sun Village bamboo products follow a strict production process, involving roughly a dozen steps from material selection, splitting bamboo, shaving strips, to weaving patterns, shaping, planing, and varnishing. To ensure product quality, the village regularly invites experts from provincial and municipal foreign trade departments to provide technical guidance each year.

　　Sun Village bamboo products are not only durable but also uniquely designed and aesthetically pleasing, and have been exhibited multiple times at provincial and municipal arts and crafts expos. The village’s bamboo hangings such as heart-shaped baskets, “Chang’e Flying to the Moon,” and “Five Boys Celebrating Spring” are exported to countries including South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.