缂丝 (Kèsī)
Kesi (缂丝 — 'cut silk') is the most technically demanding silk weaving tradition in China — a discontinuous weft tapestry technique where each color area is woven separately, with the weft threads turning back on themselves at each color boundary rather than crossing the full width of the cloth. This produces the characteristic 'cuts' (gaps) visible between color areas when the cloth is held to light — the visual signature of authentic kesi. The technique allows photographic-quality color rendering of paintings, calligraphy, and complex images because each color zone can be woven to any width and any shape. A kesi reproduction of a Song Dynasty painting requires the weaver to simultaneously manage dozens of separate color bobbins, each being woven into its specific zone by hand-pick technique with a small nail-tipped tool.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Within China's national ICH system; kesi on national ICH list
The hand making of the Cantonese bridal costume known as the kwan kwa, a two-piece red silk or satin outfit of jacket and skirt embroidered entirely by hand in gold and silver thread with auspicious motifs such as dragons, phoenixes,…
The hand carving and painting of mahjong tiles.
Printing from cast lead-alloy Chinese type: the compositor picks individual characters from type cases, sets them on a rack, locks the forme and prints on a hand-fed or automatic platen press.
Beijing cloisonné (景泰蓝 Jǐngtài Lán — 'Jingtai Blue') is the imperial enamel tradition of Beijing — named after the Jingtai Emperor (1450–1457 CE) whose reign saw the technique's maturation.
Bian embroidery (汴绣) is the revival of the Song Dynasty court embroidery tradition of Kaifeng (historically Bianjing — the Northern Song capital), most famous for its reproduction of Song-period paintings in silk — in particular, the…
Lu embroidery (鲁绣) is the Shandong provincial embroidery tradition — one of China's oldest documented embroidery schools, referenced in Han Dynasty texts as tribute fabric sent to the imperial court.
The Lao pha biang (ຜ້າບ່ຽງ) is the ceremonial shoulder cloth worn by Lao men and women at Buddhist ceremonies, weddings, baci rituals, and state occasions — draped over the left shoulder and tied or pinned at the right hip.
Tai Dam (Black Tai) textile weaving is the silk and cotton weaving tradition of the Tai Dam people — one of several Tai sub-groups who settled in the highland valleys of northern Laos and northwestern Vietnam.
Tai Lue silk weaving is the textile tradition of the Tai Lue people — a Tai sub-group whose heartland is Sipsong Panna in southern Yunnan (China) but who established significant communities in Muang Sing, Luang Namtha, Laos.
The weaving of lampas and brocade — the two primary Lyon silk structures for furnishing and dress fabrics.
The weaving of cut and uncut pile velvet on a Jacquard loom in the Croix-Rousse workshops of Lyon — the most technically demanding textile structure in the France archive.
The knotting of pile carpets on horizontal or vertical looms in Baysun district, Surkhandarya Province — a region whose distinctive cultural heritage, including its carpet-weaving tradition, was proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral…