土家族西兰卡普 (Tǔjiāzú Xīlán Kǎpǔ)
Xilan katze (西兰卡普 — meaning 'beautiful flower cover' in Tujia language) is the traditional brocade of the Tujia people — an ethnic group of over 8 million concentrated in western Hunan and western Hubei provinces. The Tujia brocade is produced on a horizontal treadle loom in a specific woven-from-the-back technique — the weaver works on the reverse side of the cloth, seeing the pattern emerge on the back face first and the 'correct' face last. This reverse-view weaving is the defining technical challenge: the weaver must visualize and execute the pattern in mirror orientation, reading the back face to assess the front face's quality. Xilan katze patterns include over 200 named geometric and animal designs (wild geese, deer, phoenix, zigzag mountains) woven at a thread density that produces extraordinary visual richness.
Risk level: Endangered · Within China's national ICH system; Tujia xilan katze on national ICH list
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