Turpan branch weaving technique is an excellent handicraft of the Uyghur people. The Uyghur people living in the Turpan Basin have been in the habit of using branches to weave daily necessities in the past years.
With the passage of time, while serving production and facilitating life, branch weaving technology has also been continuously improved and perfected, pouring into the Uyghur people's pursuit of beautiful things and reflecting the creative wisdom of the working people. , with distinctive national and regional characteristics, has become an intangible cultural heritage that has attracted worldwide attention.
Turpan branch weaving technique
Turpan branch weaving technique has a history of more than 3,000 years. Turpan branch weaving items have been found in many unearthed ancient tombs.
Most of the Turpan branch weaving products are the most practical items in daily life. The most common ones are the baskets for carrying grapes in summer. In Turpan, such baskets are piled up into hills, but they are not considered good skills. The Uyghurs in Turpan will all weave such simple baskets, but it is this humble wicker basket that created the history of Turpan branch weaving today.
When you walk into a Uighur home in Turpan, all you see are utensils woven from branches: the fruit plate on the table, the gourd on the bookshelf, the basket for holding naan in the kitchen, the dustpan for sifting grain in the yard, etc. They are all common branch braiding products in Turpan.
Without these branch braiding products, people would probably lose a lot of the fun and convenience of life. The branch braiding technique that has been passed down for thousands of years has achieved today's glory precisely because of its practical value.
Every year from April to October, you can see Turpan compilers driving donkey carts and holding sickles in the fields or the Gobi Desert to collect elm, tamarisk, mulberry, willow, etc. branches of trees, and then store various branches according to length and thickness.
First, peel off the bark of the branches to expose the smooth and white branches. Soak them in water for three or four days and then take them out and dry them in the shade. This is to make the branches more flexible and maintain the best effect of weaving items. These branches are then selected according to the size and purpose of the object.
It is not easy to make amazing branch crafts. In the past, most craftsmen continued traditional design methods and techniques, focusing on affordability and durability.
With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, users are no longer satisfied with basic sturdiness and practicality, and have increasingly higher requirements for beauty and interest. This has put forward new goals and requirements for branch weaving craftsmen. .
Due to material limitations, it is impossible to weave branches as you wish, but there are basic methods. First, it is a flat weave with protrusions between the warp trunks.
The second is twist weaving, which is a relatively demanding weaving technique. It is mainly used for the edges of utensils. The weaving pattern can be determined according to the skill of the weaving craftsman. The pattern can be rhombus or wavy. , ellipse, etc.
Through the ingenious combination of these techniques and patterns, naturally growing and commonplace branches can be transformed into exquisite handicrafts with national characteristics and cultural connotations in the hands of the weavers.
In the past years, the branch weaving technique has been widely used in the production and life of the Turpan people, and has become an indispensable part of all aspects of the local people.
The branch weaving technique that is still in use today is an important channel for studying the history, culture, and customs of our country. Therefore, it is imperative to protect this handicraft and let its unique cultural value benefit future generations.
What is exciting is that this year Turpan branch weaving technology has been included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, and Turpan branch weaving technology has ushered in the spring of development.
Turxun, the sixth generation inheritor of branch weaving technology
Farmer Tursun is the sixth generation inheritor of branch weaving technology.
Tursun, who is nearly sixty years old, said that his ancestor started weaving with branches in the 18th century. His ancestor was named Kewu'er Ahong, and he was also a well-known skilled craftsman. It has been passed down for more than 300 years now, and he is the sixth generation descendant.
Each generation in their family has a few people who are particularly good at weaving branches, and new varieties are passed down to each generation without interruption. He thanked his ancestors for leaving behind this craft, which gave their descendants the ability to eat.
Every tourist season, the hand-woven handicrafts of Tursun, a farmer in Baishmaili Village, Putao Township, Turpan City, are always favored by people. People couldn't put it down for these ingeniously conceived and beautifully crafted handicrafts, which kept Tursun and his daughter busy.
Tursun's stall is filled with various daily necessities and handicrafts made of mulberry, wicker, and elm sticks. There are a dazzling array of handicrafts in the shapes of raisin storage baskets, vase baskets, beer baskets, and gourds.
Today, Tursun's son has completely mastered his father's branch weaving skills and has become a famous craftsman in Turpan, with a group of admirers around him. Even Tursun's daughter learned the art of branch weaving from him and became one of the few female craftsmen.
Based on market demand, the Tursun family made bold innovations in branch weaving products, making them novel in style, beautiful in shape, practical and ornamental, and highly appreciated by merchants. Now they are ready to expand their business. , and recently applied for a patent.