Mannuandian Dai Brocade

Mannuandian Dai Brocade

Mannuandian Dai Brocade is an intangible cultural heritage of Yunnan Province.

　　Mannuandian is a Dai ethnic natural village under the jurisdiction of Manmai Village Committee, Gasa Town, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Weaving brocade is an indispensable handicraft activity in the daily lives of the villagers, with a long history — according to elders in the village, it dates back four to five hundred years. Nowadays, nearly every household owns a loom, and every family has adult women who can weave Dai brocade.

　　Dai brocade often uses white or light colors as the base, with patterns featuring animals, plants, architecture, figures, and more. Animal motifs include peacocks, spirited horses, dragons, phoenixes, elephants, and qilins, symbolizing good fortune, strength, and harvest respectively; pagodas, temples, and bamboo houses reflect the pursuit of a better life. Dai brocade is delicate, beautiful, vividly colored, and lifelike. Mannuandian brocade features varied line widths, exaggerated yet simplified forms, standardized patterns, and a rustic, bold aesthetic rich in decorative qualities. It carries a strong ethnic flavor and high artistic value, representing a significant style within Xishuangbanna’s Dai brocades and is deeply loved by the public. The products are mainly sold to villages across Xishuangbanna and serve as tourist souvenirs, with some also exported to countries and regions such as Myanmar, Thailand, the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong.

　　Brocade weaving is a traditional family-based handicraft industry in Mannuandian Village. The development of tourism in Xishuangbanna has brought opportunities to traditional Dai crafts. Currently, the annual sales income from Dai brocade in Mannuandian amounts to 14,900 yuan, accounting for one-fifth of the village's non-farming income. Most of the brocade in Mannuandian is woven and sold on a household basis, with villagers learning through years of exposure and passing down the craft through generations. The village has a number of skilled brocade weavers, among whom Yuershuai has been invited multiple times to other regions to teach the craft. She has received a certificate of honor jointly awarded by the Banna Grand Buddhist Temple and the Buddhist Association, and has been featured in media outlets such as Yunnan Pictorial and Xishuangbanna State TV Station.