An Oral History of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Tujia Ethnic Group by Inheritors · Tujia Brocade · Voice from Liu Dai’e

Li Fang

Li Fang， a doctor graduate of anthropology， School of Social Sciences， Tsinghua University， tutored by Professor Zhang Xiaojun， is a part-time researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Hunan Normal University.

Zhou Ding

Zhou Ding， a master supervisor， is currently director of the art room in Xueyuan Publishing House and associate professor at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology， Hunan Normal University.

This book mainly records the author’s dialogue with Liu Dai’e， a 63-year-old state-level bearer of the Tujia brocade technique. The content ranges from Liu’s love for her hometown and her understanding of Xilankapu (Tujia people’s flower beddings) to her skill learning process， from her Tujia brocade weaving skills and experience of recovering over a hundred traditional brocade patterns to her knowledge of the culture and spirit of Xilankapu， and from her reflections on life and deep love towards families to the inheritance of Tujia brocade and her concern and expectation of the brocade’s future development. The author illustrates a whole picture of the original brocade culture inherited generation after generation by the Tujia people inhabiting the Youshui Basin in the Wuling Mountains.

An Oral History of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Tujia Ethnic Group by Inheritors · Tujia Brocade · Voice from Liu Dai’e

Li Fang， Zhou Ding

Academy Press

August 2020

800.00 (CNY)

In fact， the tradition of weaving flowers in Laochehe Village has been around for a long time.

According to some archaeologists， a large number of spinning tools， such as stone and pottery spinning wheels and pottery shards with some textile patterns used by the ancients， were found in the ruins of Shang and Zhou dynasties in Miaoertan Town， Longshan County. This discovery indicates that the ancestors in this area， as early as thousands of years ago， were already living as men farming and women weaving. Expert Liu Nengpu， who specializes in the study of Tujia culture， has also told me some records in the books. According to On Geography in the Ming Dynasty， “the locals like to wear colorful clothes”. According to Local Chronicles of Yongshun County in Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1736-- 1795) during the Qing Dynasty， “the locals weave the weft with one hand and flower patterns using fine horns with the other， and it turns out to be impressive patterns in five colors”. And according to Local Records of Longshan County written during the reign of Emperor Qianlong， “the people here are honest and outstanding”， “the sound of weaving could often be heard as women diligently worked with weaving machines”， and “l(fā)ocal women are good at weaving brocade， skirts， and quilts with silk warp and weft or silk warp and cotton weft， weaving colorful flower patterns”. From the past chronicles， we know that the Tujia people here were not only able to spin and weave but also knew how to feed silkworms with mulberries and plant hemp and cotton， so the clothes of the Tujia people are riotous with color. In Local Records of Longshan County written during the Republic of China， it is also recorded that Tujia brocade was “an exhibit of necessities from eastern and western countries”. Therefore， even though thousands of years apart， from ancient times to modern times， from primitive weaving to today’s Tujia brocade weaving fashion， Tujia brocade weaving has never stopped its steps. The traditional custom of “men farming and women weaving， as the sound of weaving may often be heard” is still maintained in this area. The Tujia brocade technique today continues the weaving traditions of the Tujia people that has lasted thousands of years. It can be regarded as a “l(fā)iving fossil” of the original weaving.

Most of the population of our village are Tujia people， with the surnames Peng and Xiang most common. These two surnames are the most commonly heard here. My grandmother， surnamed Peng， is known for her excellent weaving skills. She is one of the Tujia people from Pengjiawan， Laochehe Village， while my grandfather， surnamed Liu， is a Han Chinese who traveled here from elsewhere. According to the elders in our family， our ancestors surnamed Liu originally lived on Bamian Hill and later moved to Laochehe Village. Looking north from Liye Town where you live， you can see this towering Hill. Bamian Hill is located on the boundary of Hunan and Chongqing Municipality， extending longer from south to north with sharp ends surrounded by cliffs， just like a boat. There are many folk legends about it. Some say that it is the “ancestral mountain” of our Tujia people. Although Bamian Hill is steep on all sides， its top is flat and open， with lush pastures. People would feed horses， cattle， and sheep there. Therefore， Bamian Hill is also called “an aerial grassland” and “Hulunbuir in the south”. Our family moved to Laoche Villiage when my grandfather was a child. My grandma said that when she was young， almost every Tujia woman could weave flower patterns in the village. The Han women from elsewhere only knew how to spin cotton， but didn’t know how to weave flower patterns， while we Tujia women were weaving flower patterns all year round. An ancient Tujia song sings that “girls come together in one home， knitting， spinning， and weaving flower patterns...peach flowers in spring， hydrangeas in summer， osmanthus in mid-autumn， and plum blossoms in winter.”

Besides exquisite fabrics， Lala Ferry is also a distinctive feature of our village， which was our main way of transportation. I recommend you to have a try because you can only find it here in Youshui Basin. When there was no Liangting Bridge， people could only cross the river by Lala ferry to reach elsewhere. There is a saying that “as long as boatmen hold hands， bad weathers are not a concern”. Water transport was the most commonly seen form of transportation in Youshui Basin， and Lala Ferry was the main way to cross the river. When the river was not that turbulent， people could sail the boat on their own， with no need for help from the boat owner. In Laochehe village， Peng Xinmin， the boat owner， has already been in charge of the Lala Ferry for decades. In the early days， people did not need to pay for the ferry， and the boat owner made a living through “Da He Liang (receiving boaters’ grain)”. It is a unique custom in our village， and every household has to send a certain amount of food or grains to the boat owner every year to offset the yearly charge. This custom can be seen twice every year. The first time is in August or September when grains are ripe， and everyone sends seven jin (3.5kg) of millet to the boat owner; the second time is from the 1st to 15th day in the first month of the lunar calendar， every family sends baba (rice cake) to the owner at will. This custom is known as “presenting millet in autumn and rice cake during the New Year”; thus the boat owner also has" guaranteed sustenance. Every summer holiday， children in our village would have fun on Lala ferries on the river. It has already become a unique lifestyle of the Tujia people.