White Sprout Broom

White Sprout Broom

　　According to the *Leping County Annals*, the white sprout broom of Leping has a history of several hundred years and had already reached a considerable scale by the mid-Qing Dynasty. Before 1937, there was a store in Leping city dedicated to the purchase and processing of brooms, called Zhonglihe Trading Company.

　　The white sprout broom uses the stalks of northern glutinous sorghum (the seed spikes of glutinous sorghum, threshed and husked) as raw material. The weaving technique is not complicated — a slightly curved short-handled small sickle, a steel wire rope about the thickness of a burlap sack cord, these are the main tools. Fine iron wire, rubberized thread, or nylon cord is used for binding, twisted into six strands: five in the front and one at the back, forming a garlic-bulb shape.

　　White sprout brooms come in different sizes for use on the floor or on the kang (a heated brick bed). They are known for their sturdy weaving, moderate flexibility, and attractive appearance, often given as gifts to family and friends. They have long enjoyed a good reputation in both domestic and international markets. In addition to being sold in Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, and various provinces in Northeast China, Leping white sprout brooms are also exported to Japan and several countries in Southeast Asia.