Tongxiang: “Revitalize” century-old Pu silk and revitalize traditional crafts

In midsummer, in the exhibition hall on the 6th floor of Puyuan 320 Creative Plaza, a series of exquisitely crafted and shiny clothing attracts attention. A weaver demonstrates traditional skills in front of a wooden handloom. As one of the “Four Famous Silks in the South of the Yangtze River”, Pu silk has traveled through history and now regains its former glory.

On the morning of July 15, this reporter saw a scene at the Pu silk intangible cultural heritage protection and development seminar. In order to better inherit and develop Pu Silk, an intangible cultural heritage item, Silk intangible cultural heritage project experts and heads of relevant departments in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province gathered in Puyuan to study Pu Silk culture, and work together to create a fashion industry with more connotation, vitality and sustainable development. Pan Minfang, member of the Standing Committee of the Tongxiang Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, attended the meeting.

To trace the origin of Pu silk, he spent more than 10 years restoring 4 pieces of equipment

The revitalization of Pu silk hides an inheritance story that a Tongxiang person has been studying silently for more than 10 years. At the seminar, Feng Jiyan shared his incomprehensible relationship with Pu silk. Feng Jiyan is a native of Tongxiang. His ancestors have been dealing with silk for generations. His great-grandmother founded Zheng Taihe Dyeing House, and set up a special counter in the store to purchase fresh cocoons and mulberry silk, and process them for weaving after purchase. After graduating from university, he joined the largest silk company in the province. Since 2010, Feng Jiyan began to do a lot of research on the protection and restoration of Pu silk, collecting and recording 320,000 words of historical records and materials on Pu silk, and compiled and published the book “Tracing the Origin of Pu Silk” at the beginning of this year.

“After more than 10 years of hard work, I have gradually transformed and copied 4 sets of Pu silk production equipment, and the second batch of 8 pieces of equipment is being transformed. At present, the daily output of Pu silk is about 300 meters. The output is not large. But it is very precious.” Feng Jiyan, the chairman of Wanjintang Silk Technology Textile Company, bluntly stated that he would focus on promoting the craft of Pu silk.

Discussing development together, experts and scholars offer suggestions for polishing Pu silk business cards

In 2020, Tongxiang was successfully selected into the list of provincial-level sericulture and silk culture inheritance ecological reserves. Exploring the protection and development of Pu silk is beneficial to the better inheritance of sericulture and silk culture. In this regard, Zhu Chengyan, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the International Silk College of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, believes that it is necessary not only to let the successors of Pu silk stand out, but also to fully explore the characteristics of Pu silk in all aspects of the process from raw material selection, reeling to finished products, and to establish a specialized work site to promote industrial development.

According to Yan Yuehu, director and researcher of the Editorial Office of the Provincial Government Local Chronicles Office, Pu silk is a distinctive cultural symbol of Puyuan and even Tongxiang. The restoration, protection and development of Pu silk are important measures to develop regional culture.

Focusing on the excavation and research of history and culture, the cultivation and introduction of talents, and the activation and display of intangible cultural heritage products, the national Chinese core publication “Silk” magazine Director Li Qizheng, former director of China Silk Museum Yu Zhida, associate researcher of Chinese Silk History and Culture Li Qinsheng and deputy director of Jiaxing Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Wang Xiaochu provided suggestions one by one to provide intellectual support for the establishment of an ecosystem conducive to the protection and inheritance of Pu silk intangible cultural heritage.

Keeping integrity and innovating, Tongxiang plays a unique cultural card

From a silk thread in the Song and Yuan Dynasties to a yarn today, after more than 890 years of vicissitudes, inheritance and innovation are the eternal themes of Tongxiang’s development.

Pan Minfang pointed out that Tongxiang will list research topics, fully learn from and absorb the opinions and suggestions of experts and scholars, and clarify the direction and path for the next step of work. As the leading unit, the Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports should further establish mechanisms, organize special classes, and do a good job in the top-level design of the development of Pu silk culture. The party committee and government will promote the living exhibition display and academic achievements of intangible cultural heritage, vigorously support the marketization and industrialization of intangible cultural heritage projects, and build common prosperity for Zhejiang’s highquality development The demonstration area contributes to the cultural strength of Tongxiang.

Promoting the incubation, transformation and revitalization of Pu silk weaving technology is the purpose of Puyuan to give full play to the industrial characteristics and advantages of fashion towns. “Currently, Puyuan is in a period of overlapping opportunities for the coordinated development of industry, market, tourism and culture. Facing the succession, inheritance and renewal of the past and the future, we have the responsibility and obligation to recreate the past glory of Pusi and bring this glory to the present. Continue to inherit and carry it forward to make it a cultural label and characteristic symbol of the fashionable town.” said Su Weiming, Secretary of the Puyuan Town Party Committee.

According to statistics, Tongxiang currently has 1 representative work of human intangible cultural heritage (Tongxiang sericulture custom), 3 representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage (including mountain silkworm rolling, high-pole boating skills and blue printing Cloth printing and dyeing skills), 20 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage projects, and Jiaxing municipal-level, provincial-level, and national-level listed projects rank first in Jiaxing County and urban areas.

AAA

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