Riverbank Rattan Ware

Riverbank Rattan Ware

　　Riverbank Rattan Ware

　　The surging Wu River forms a 132-kilometer natural mountain gorge called Changlang within the territory of Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County. Surrounded by towering mountains and dense forests, the wild land is abundant with tough and resilient wild green vines and mountain bamboo. The green vine leaves are oval-shaped and emerald green, while the vines are supple and slender. The mountain bamboo is lush green with a hard, dense, and tough texture. Woven from these materials, the rattan products feature elegant designs, tight structures, bright colors, excellent breathability, warmth in winter and coolness in summer, and a comfortable touch—giving off a rustic mountain vibe and a sense of returning to nature.

　　It is said that Riverbank Rattan Ware craftsmanship was passed down during the Qing Dynasty by a scribe surnamed Liu from Fuling. Before and after liberation, only simple single reclining chairs with backrests could be produced. In 1972, the great-great-grandson of Master Liu came to Yanhe again to teach the craft. Ingenious Tujia women, with their unique creativity, wove and created various rattan products rich in distinctive ethnic characteristics, bringing the development of Riverbank Rattan Ware to its peak.

　　Riverbank Rattan Ware is exquisitely crafted with complex techniques. The process involves air-drying the green vines and then soaking them in water to soften them, before removing knots and thick vines. The selected weaving vines are uniform in thickness, and some are split in half as needed based on the design. A specially made stove with a focused flame is used to heat mountain bamboo no thicker than a thumb and no thinner than a middle finger, shaping it into various rattan product frames. Then, through the ingenious artistry of Tujia women—such as twisting and weaving intricate patterns—they create beautiful artistic masterpieces. The patterns include dozens of designs such as “National Treasure Panda,” “Heart-to-Heart Knot,” “Chinese Knot,” “Chrysanthemum,” “Double Shuttle,” “Pepper Leaf,” “Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl,” and “Rolling Body.” The product range includes over 60 categories such as large sofa sets, tightly woven sofas, single-person sofas, double-person sofas, crown sofas, folding sofas, European-style sofas, palace-style sofas; European single chairs, high-back chairs, lounge chairs, armchairs, swivel chairs, office chairs, small children's tables and chairs, dining chairs; classical Chinese screens, Russian screens; flower stands, flower sleeves, rattan hats, rattan trays, rattan vines, rattan baskets, rattan boxes, rattan bags, and rattan beds.

　　Riverbank Rattan Ware is sold locally in cities such as Beijing, Wuhan, Shandong, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau. It is mainly exported to Southeast Asia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and other countries and regions. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was the foremost foreign exchange earner in the Tongren region. It once won the Excellent Product Award from the Ministry of Light Industry and was widely used on airplanes due to its lightness and comfort. Comrade —, then Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, visited Yanhe in 1987 during his tenure and affirmed and encouraged its products, praising them as “ethnic products with unique craftsmanship that should be further promoted and developed.” He spoke highly of Riverbank Rattan Ware and expressed great expectations for its future.