Li brocade glows with new vitality in China's Hainan

Tan Chaoyan, a young woman in Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province, was ecstatic when she heard that the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering were added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Dec. 5, 2024.

A model presents a creation featuring Li brocade elements during Paris Fashion Week in France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

The traditional Li textile techniques are employed by women of the Li ethnic group in Hainan Province to make cotton, hemp and other natural fibers into clothing and other daily necessities.

Born in the 1990s, Tan began learning the traditional Li textile techniques at an early age under the direction of her grandmother and mother. After graduating from college, she chose to return to her hometown and established a Li brocade studio in 2015 to pass on Li brocade.

Four years later, Tan set up her own company on Li brocade culture. Last year, the company's sales volume exceeded 700,000 yuan (about $96,400).

Tan attributed her company's success to the remarkable progress in the protection of Li brocade and the craft's presence on the international stage. At this year's Paris Fashion Week, models presented creations featuring Li brocade elements on the runway.

To make Li brocade trendy and international, Wuzhishan city collaborated with Italy's top art school Istituto Marangoni to launch a talent training program in August 2023. They selected 30 Li brocade artisans for the two-year, four-semester free training program. Tan was among these selected talents.

Photo shows delicate Li brocade. (Photo/Li Tianping)

When the opportunity to design for Paris Fashion Week arose in early September, Tan was both nervous and excited. In just half a month, Tan's team provided 10 unique patterns of Li brocade and nearly 30 fabric designs. Their Li brocade-inspired clothing ultimately stole the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week.

"Participating in international exchange activities enables more people to learn about Li brocade and Li culture and allows inheritors to draw on new design concepts and integrate fashion elements into their works, thus helping the Li brocade techniques keep pace with the times," said Wang Yuzhao, deputy curator of the cultural center of Wuzhishan.

Since 2023, the city has sent four groups totaling 69 intangible cultural heritage talents to international events, including Milan Fashion Week and promotional activities in Singapore and Malaysia.

Following Paris Fashion Week, Tan soon received collaboration proposals from out-of-province companies, with plans to produce 1,500 pieces of Li brocade.

Li brocade is known as a "living fossil" of China's textile industry. At present, the number of inheritors of the ancient craft in Hainan has grown to more than 20,000. Over 100 primary and secondary schools in the province have launched courses on the techniques, and five 300-square-meter training studios and 16 "inheritance villages" have been established in six cities and counties across the province, according to Hainan's department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports.