Binyang Bamboo Weaving Craft

Binyang Bamboo Weaving Craft

　　 Binyang is known as the "Hometown of Bamboo Weaving." Binyang bamboo weaving involves crafting a wide variety of exquisite, elegantly designed, and practical everyday items—such as flower baskets, trays, stands, boxes, and various home decorations—using bamboo as the primary material, often supplemented with wood, rattan, silk, straw, and other auxiliary materials. The bamboo weaving industry in Binyang has a long history. Historical records indicate that the craft has been developed and produced in the region for 300 years, with origins traceable back to the Song Dynasty. During that period, the cool mats woven in Binyang were already quite famous. Zheng Gang, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan, once praised in his poetry that "the bamboo mats from Binyang are excellent," demonstrating that Binyang bamboo weaving had spread across the country as early as the Song Dynasty.

 Since the first batch of Binyang bamboo weaving handicrafts was exported to Japan in 1972, they have remained a traditional major export commodity of Binyang County. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the export value reached 102 million yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 28.7%. From 1999 to 2001, the export figures were 36 million yuan, 48 million yuan, and 53 million yuan respectively. By the end of 2001, Binyang County had 23 foreign trade enterprises engaged in bamboo weaving production, supply, and distribution, employing 50,000 to 60,000 people. In March 1980, Lan Zuqi, a bamboo weaver known as the "Weaving Champion," participated in a national trade delegation organized by the State Foreign Trade Company to promote bamboo products in the United States. During his 17-day stay in New York and San Francisco, he closed deals based on samples, modified designs and specifications, created five sample sets worth 190,000 US dollars through single weaving sessions, met with 28 clients, and achieved sales of 1.65 million US dollars. He was soon invited to countries in South America such as Chile to teach bamboo weaving techniques, bringing honor to the nation.

 Binyang bamboo weaving offers a rich variety of colors and designs, combining beauty, elegance, practicality, delicacy, and a strong local flavor. It enjoys a high reputation in the international market. Over the past decade, the product range has expanded from traditional bamboo weaving to over ten types including rattan, straw, rope, cattail, miscanthus, and mixed-material weaving. Items such as baskets, fruit trays, bamboo stands, and gift boxes feature innovative designs and are recognized for being "new, unique, premium, distinctive, and beautiful," making them favorites at the Canton Fair and successful exports to more than ten countries and regions in Europe and America. Currently, bamboo weaving manufacturers are located in towns such as Luxu Hetian and Taishou. Major scaled enterprises include Tengfei Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd., Hexiang Handicrafts Factory, Hengda Arts & Crafts Products Factory, Taishou Bamboo Ware Factory, and Xinglan Arts & Crafts Products Factory. Among them, "Tengfei" and "Hexiang" have been officially approved to operate with self-managed import and export rights.