Li Xiaojiao, a 36-year-old straw weaving artist, is sitting in a straw weaving workshop in Lihua Street Community, Baihe Town, cutting straw braids.In the space about 20 square meters, filled up with all kinds of straw hats, and all kinds of straw woven art, straw woven hanging pictures, straw woven bagsand so on.

Continuous sunshine shines into the workshop and sprinkles on the straw weaving crafts, which makes people wonder: how those unremarkable straw is transformed into magic in the artisans.

_{Li Xiaojiao is learning straw knitting and dyeing}

The Golden Age of Baihe Straw Weaving

Li Xiaojiao was born and raised in BaiheTown. When she was a child, she lived with her aunt."At that time, every family in the countryside would grow wheat in their fields, harvest and thresh. I often saw my aunt sitting under the eaves and pulling plaits."

In the small tea shop in the countryside, under the eaves, or even between the working ridges, fields and furrows, the scene of people making straw while laying a longmen array can be seen everywhere.

After being smoked white with sulfur, the straw braids are pulled into the shape of noodles and hung in the air on the dam and the roof of the building, which are specially made of cement. Under the sun, the whole land looks golden.

Every time, villagers from far and near would bring straw hats that the whole family had knitted and trade them in the town.In the 1980s and 1990s, a straw hat sold for 40 or 50 cents, and a person could earn several yuan a month by braiding straw hats. At that time, braiding straw hats became a livelihood for more than 100,000 local people in BaiheTown.

Until the 1990s, it could be taken asthe "golden age" of Baihe straw weaving.According to the data, there were more than 100 straw hat enterprises at that time, with an annual output of more than 3 million straw hats and craft straw hat products, and an output value of more than 10 million yuan.Products are exported to New overtime, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

_{The farmers are drying their hay braids in the dam}

"The Older Generation Is the Same Old Generation"

Baihe straw hat is famous for its color, style and durability. It generally has eight weaving processes, such as choosing straw smoked and bleaching, cutting grass weaving, boiling and drying to whiten, sewing and grinding pressure, punching holes and spraying characters.

Li Xiaojiao introduced, a good straw handicraft, in the selection of special attention to the material, "for example, Baihe farmers grow their own straw is shorter and thinner, flexible, woven things more exquisite."

The second is "soaking should pay attention to the good time, the straw is very light and easy to float on the water, soaking time is about 10 minutes.When the bottom of the straw is soaked, the straw is turned upside down so that the water flows through the core, and then laid flat so that the water permeates the straw."

It is easy to say, but if the straw is not soaked properly and not used up at one time, it will not be easy to soften the next time it is soaked. It is very brittle and easy to break.Li xiaojiao said the process was done by hand.As a new generation of straw weaving artist, she is still learning these skills from the old people in the workshop.

With the acceleration of the urbanization process, many of the land here has been gradually transformed into industrial parks.Fruit trees have been planted in fields where straw used to be planted.

Around Baihe town, the old days of people drying their braids in the sun, wearing straw hats and working in the fields have long been history.

Li Xiaojiao says most locals stopped knitting straw hats years ago.There used to be a large area of land in Baihe Town that could be planted with straw, but now it is planted with fruit trees.

"Now the raw material for straw knitting is to buy Henan straw online, which is more expensive and longer than local straw."However, Henan straw also has its advantages.Because it is longer, there will be less head in the weaving process, and the artist will have more space for creation.

But that's not enough to attract young people."Fewer and fewer people stay in the countryside, and knitting by hand takes a lot of time and energy. Now young people are not willing to do it. They would rather work and earn money."

_{The students are having a straw weaving class}

“A Group of People Passing On”

But this traditional art has not gone into decline.In 2009, It was included in the intangible cultural heritage of Sichuan Province.Local schools have also introduced the traditional handicraft of "Baihe Straw Weaving" into their classrooms.

Li Xiaojiao has taught elementary school students to weave an "entry-level" grasshopper cage, the earliest straw weaving equipment.

"The children loved the knitting lessons and thought they were fun."Sometimes the front braids are braided backwards, Lisaid with a laugh, and sometimes the usual seven-strand braids are "converted" into two-strand braids, with the two pieces of straw in hand repeatedly braided.

"In them, we see innovation in straw weaving."She remembered that there was a girl in her class who knew how to tie plaits and sew straw hats early on."Because her grandmother was the first generation to inherit it."

On weekdays, Li Xiaojiao also looks for pictures of simple and interesting handmade objects on the Internet. After learning how to make buckets, pendants and small fans with braids, she will teach her pupils.

Li Xiaojiao lamenting that nowadays, "there are few opportunities to harvest wheat personally, and it is a 'luxury' to be able to do it yourself, unless you are growing the straw yourself."At present, the workshop, in cooperation with local schools, has set up a 100-mu field nearby to grow wheat to solve the problem of raw materials for straw weaving.

In addition, professional teaching materials for professionals and introductory teaching materials for the general public will also be launched this year, according to an official from the workshop.At the same time, the introduction of intangible cultural heritage talents from universities, combined with contemporary design concepts and traditional Baihe straw weaving elements, to develop more innovative and exquisite handicrafts.

"Our intangible cultural heritage is not inherited by one person, but by a group of people."(Courtesy of Baihe Straw Weaving Workshop)