Hushu Straw Mats

Hushu Straw Mats

　　Hushu straw mats are a specialty of Hushuguan Town, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Known for their lush green color, soft and smooth texture, tight weave, comfort, coolness, and durability, they are highly popular among the public and sell well across the country. During the Tongzhi era, the Hefengyu Pottery Shop in Baoying, Yangzhou, was already selling “Guan mats.”

　　Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty once toured the south of the Yangtze River and, upon passing through Suzhou’s Hushuguan, was so impressed by the “Guan mats” that he applauded in admiration and requested some from local officials. In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi also repeatedly sent “procurement officers” to Hushuguan to select mats. Hushuguan even became synonymous with mats, to the extent that a couplet about mat shops in the collection “Duilian of All Trades” read: “Better to dream of Handan’s slumber sweet, but how marvelous are mats from Hushuguan made complete.” In summer, after bathing, lying on these mats woven from freshwater grass makes one’s skin feel refreshingly cool and induces sleep.