壮锦 (Zhuàng Jǐn)
Zhuang brocade (壮锦) is the weaving tradition of the Zhuang people — China's largest ethnic minority with over 18 million people, concentrated in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Zhuang brocade is produced on a specific large-frame loom (the huazhou loom) that uses a pattern heddle system somewhat similar to the Song brocade huakou loom (CRAFT-0320) but operated by a single weaver — the pattern heddle being set by the weaver herself in a preparation process that can take weeks for complex designs. The Zhuang pattern vocabulary — geometric rhombuses, stylized flowers (hibiscus and chrysanthemum), and the swastika (wan zi — an ancient Buddhist symbol of good fortune) — is woven in silk against a cotton ground in bold, saturated colors.
Risk level: Endangered · Within China's national ICH system; Zhuang brocade on national ICH list
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