Liangping Bamboo Curtains Where Chinese Culture is Woven into “the World’s Best Bamboo Curtain”

Liangping Bamboo Curtains
Where Chinese Culture is Woven into “the World’s Best Bamboo Curtain”
 梁平竹帘
“天下第一帘”之中华文化佳礼

The Liangping bamboo curtain fan was selected as “Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs” in 2021.

梁平竹帘扇入选2021“重庆好礼·外事礼品”。

At the venue of the 2023 Liangping Visit and Chinese New Year Gala for Consular Corps and Overseas Institutions in Chongqing, guests gathered at the display of the Liangping Bamboo Curtain. At the stand, Lu Xiaogang, the 60-year-old Chongqing municipal-level inheritor of the “Liangping Bamboo Curtain”(a national intangible cultural heritage), was demonstrating how to strip the bamboo in the process of making Liangping bamboo curtain fans, which now serve as gifts on occasions of foreign affairs.

He took a piece of bamboo, broke it, cracked it, removed nodes, separated the bamboo green, sliced it into even fibers, and rubbed and cleaned the fibers. In just a few minutes, a 50 to 60 centimeters long bamboo has turned into bamboo threads as thin as hair. His skillful performance blew the international guests away.

From Imperial Tributes to Exported Presents

“Thin as cicada wings and light as silk, numerous strands and threads are interwoven to make the textile. This is the world’s best curtain, so intricate as if it is heaven-made.” The bamboo threads are the main fibers and beautiful paintings are drawn on the bamboo fabric. History records, as early as in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Liangping Bamboo Curtains were tributes to the loyal family and were well-known as the World’s Best Curtain. The techniques have been passed down till today for nearly a thousand years.

Aircrews from the Soviet Union and the United States, who were stationed at Liangping Military Airfield during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, brought bamboo curtains made in Liangping as souvenirs to give to their loved ones back home. Liangping Bamboo Curtain paintings made their way to the other side of the Pacific Ocean and became a unique Oriental artifact in Western homes.

In 1959, Liangping Bamboo Curtain Factory undertook the commission of making a mega bamboo curtain painting for the Great Hall of the People. In 1975, Liangping bamboo curtain paintings were brought and presented as gifts by Chinese leaders attending the General Assembly of the United Nations. The year 1980 saw another five mega bamboo curtain decorations produced for the Great Hall of the People. The made-in-Liangping decorations met with acclaim both at home and abroad. Liangping Bamboo Curtain Painting was inscribed on the list of the second batch of China's national intangible cultural heritages in 2008.

After starting out as an entry-level worker, Lu Xiaogang has risen through the ranks to become the director of the factory. He beamed as he spoke about the illustrious past of the Liangping Bamboo Curtain.

 “Manufacturing and sales of the curtain peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, when the factory employed more than 300 people. Our bamboo curtains won awards in numerous exhibitions both at home and abroad. Its one-of-a-kind processes attracted renowned artists from all over China to use the curtain as a medium to show their talent. In the 1980s and 1990s, Liangping bamboo curtains were exported to South Korea, Japan, the Czech Republic, and other countries, as well as those in Southeast Asia,”said Lu Xiaogang.

 

Over 80 Elaborate Processes for a Liangping Bamboo Curtain

 

陆晓刚携梁平竹帘产品在俄罗斯参加“2019圣彼得堡‘欢乐春节’”活动。

Liangping Bamboo Curtain is made from Liangping's Cizhu (Neosinocalamus affinis) bamboo, which is refined through more than 80 processes by hand, such as bamboo selection, breaking the bamboo into sections, separating the bamboo green, cracking into even fibers on one end, slicing, making threads, reeling, waving into the curtain, binding, and drawing. Diverse products are made when the bamboo curtain is combined with other techniques such as painting, embroidery, and flocking. These handcrafts, the results of fine craftsmanship, feature elegant colors, unique local features, and natural textures.

“Having the right raw material is the key to make the bamboo curtain. Liangping Bamboo Curtain is made of local Neosinocalamus Affinis bamboo with long joints which turns green every two or three years. It must have few blossoms with its green surface unstained, so that the bamboo strips will be fresh and pastel.” Lu Xiaogang, who has devoted to bamboo curtain for over 40 years, said, “stripping is the most challenging but the key procedure. Only 1.5 to 2 kilograms out of bamboos weighing 50 kilograms will be ultimately used. Usually, a thin bamboo slice with a width of 1.5 centimeters can produce 30 to 40 strips with a width of about 0.25 millimeters.”

 “Painting on bamboo curtain is different from painting on Xuan paper (traditional Chinese paper used for calligraphy and painting), for bamboo curtain lacks the natural blending effect presented by painting on Xuan paper, yet exudes a fresh and free feeling. Thanks to that, an enchanting feeling will be emanated when we paint Chinese landscape on it.” Lu said. 

Innovation and Transformation—Seeking Rebirth in Changes

“After enterprise reformation in 2001, I established the Liangping Liufang Bamboo Curtain Factory. However, due to the emergence of a large number of modern craft products in the market with the development of modern technology, Liangping Bamboo Curtain is losing its ground in the market.” Lu lamented.

To revitalize Liangping Bamboo Curtain, Lu has been committed to its production and promotion for years. He made bold yet innovative changes to various bamboo curtain pendants, decorative paintings, and crafts for practical use. He also unveiled new bamboo curtain products, such as bamboo curtain stand, bamboo curtain screen, and bamboo timber blinds. The bamboo curtains designed, developed, and produced by Lu, have won many awards at important exhibitions at the national, provincial, municipal and city levels. Among his representative works, bamboo curtain paintings including Along the River During the Qingming Festival and Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, together with embroidered bamboo curtains including Frolicking Pandas and The Eight Immortals Offering Birthday Congratulations, won the first prize; the bamboo curtain screen won the second prize of the “Golden Phoenix” innovative product design at the 42nd China Arts & Crafts Expo; and the bamboo curtain fan was selected as “Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs” in 2021. His crafts have enjoyed public praise and appreciation.

Meanwhile, he frequently attended commodities fairs across China with his bamboo curtain samples, aiming at increasing the popularity of Liangping Bamboo Curtain. He also traveled with the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government to countries such as the United States, Germany, and Russia for cultural exchanges many times. Thanks to years of dedication, his bamboo curtain factory was listed as the Demonstration Base for Productive Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chongqing. Products are exported to countries including Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Morocco.

Lu Xiaogang has been committed to the principle of teaching the technique for free and offering jobs to those who have mastered the technique, thus attracting a large number of young people. However, sales of bamboo curtain have plunged in recent years due to COVID-19. “On account of complicated procedures, tedious work content, and less respectable income, the number of students is declining.” Lu Xiaogang, who is of retirement age, said resignedly, “Although I’m getting on in years, as long as I’m alive, I will pass on the technique to future generations.”

For Lu, questions like how to promote R&D and make innovation while preserving the traditions of Liangping Bamboo Curtain, how to blaze a trail to spread brilliant traditional Chinese culture, and how to introduce the ancient fine cultural products to everyone have been always lingering in his mind.

Photo/The Interviewee

 

梁平竹帘被列为皇家贡品，饮誉天下。

 

2023外国领团及境外驻渝机构代表走进梁平活动现场，梁平竹帘的展台前人头攒动，国家级非物质文化遗产梁平竹帘重庆市级代表性传承人陆晓刚，正在演示重庆外事礼品梁平竹帘扇制作过程中的精妙“绝活”—破竹取丝。

只见他取一截慈竹，破竹、划片、启篾、去节、刨青、分丝、匀丝、搓揉、清毛，短短几分钟，一根五六十厘米长的竹简就化为细如发丝的竹丝。动作娴熟，一气呵成，令驻足观看的外国嘉宾赞不绝口。

梁平竹帘 从皇家贡品到外销礼品

梁平竹帘亮相2023外国领团及境外驻渝机构代表走进梁平活动。

“薄如蝉翼淡如绸，万缕千丝总相连，借得七仙灵巧手，换来天下第一帘。”史料记载，早在北宋年间，以竹丝为主要原料编织成帘，画上精美图画—梁平竹帘就被列为皇家贡品，饮誉天下，素有“天下第一帘”之称。

抗战期间，美苏盟国均有驻梁平军用机场的空勤人员，他们对竹帘画大为欣赏，纷纷带回国馈赠亲友。梁平竹帘远渡重洋，成为欧美家庭别具一格的东方艺术品。

1959年，梁平竹帘厂为北京人民大会堂承制巨幅竹帘画。1975年，中国领导出席联合国大会，又将竹帘画作为礼品携往大洋彼岸。1980年，竹帘厂再次为北京人民大会堂承制了5幅大型竹帘装饰品，中外人士流连于此，赞不绝口。2008年，“梁平竹帘”被列入全国第二批非物质文化遗产名录。

陆晓刚从梁平竹帘厂的工人做到厂长，谈及梁平竹帘的昔日辉煌，他笑逐颜开：“到20世纪六七十年代，竹帘制作和销售达到顶峰，竹帘厂有300多名工人，生产的竹帘在国内外展览中多次获奖，并以其独特的工艺形式，吸引了全国众多知名艺术家一展身手。在八九十年代，梁平竹帘出口远销韩国、日本、捷克等国及东南亚地区。”

抽丝剥茧 80余道工序成一帘

梁平竹帘以梁平盛产的慈竹为原料，经过选竹、启片、分丝、匀丝、冲头子、迂篾、缫丝、牵梳、提纵、织帘、装订、绘画等80余道手工序精细制作，织成“细如毫发密如丝，薄如蝉翼轻如锦”的独特竹帘工艺品，并结合书画、刺绣、植绒等多种表现手法，其色泽典雅、工艺精细，具有浓郁的地方特色和自然风韵。

“在竹帘制作工序里，原材料的选择是根本。梁平竹帘选用本地慈竹为主要原料，必须是竹节长、干花少、青皮未伤的隔年青或两年青，这样抽出的竹丝才会色泽柔和。”干了40多年的陆晓刚介绍说，“抽丝则是最考技术，也是最关键的一道工序。近百斤竹子最后留用的也就三四斤。通常来讲，1.5厘米宽的竹子薄片能抽出30到40根竹丝，1根竹丝细约0.25毫米。”

“在竹帘上绘画不同于在宣纸上作画，它没有宣纸那种自然天成的晕染效果，但会给人一种清新、洒脱的感觉，尤其是山水画，清秀的画风很有韵味。”陆晓刚表示。

创新裂变 在变化中寻求新生

“2001年企业改制后，我创建了梁平县流芳工艺竹帘厂，但随着科技的发展，大量现代工艺制品冲击着传统艺术品市场，渐渐地，梁平竹帘淡出了人们的视野。”陆晓刚感叹道。

为了让梁平竹帘重放异彩，陆晓刚花费多年精力在制作和宣传上，他大胆创新了多种竹帘挂件、装饰画及实用工艺品，推出了台式竹帘、屏风式竹帘、落地式竹帘等新品类。其所设计开发制作的竹帘在参加全国及省市大型展示会评比中屡屡获奖，代表性竹帘画《清明上河图》《长江三峡图》，刺绣竹帘《熊猫群戏图》《八仙祝寿图》等被评为金奖，其竹帘屏风在第42届中国工艺美术展上荣获“金凤凰”创新产品设计银奖，竹帘扇入选2021“重庆好礼·外事礼品”，获得无数好评。

同时，他带着竹帘样品积极亮相全国各地大型展销会，不断扩大梁平竹帘的知名度，并多次随政府组织的文化代表团前往美国、德国、俄罗斯等国家进行文化交流。多年的坚守，流芳工艺竹帘厂被列为重庆市非物质文化遗产生产性保护示范基地，其产品远销日本、韩国、捷克、摩洛哥等国家。

陆晓刚一直坚守着免费传授技艺的原则，学成后提供就业岗位，吸引大量的年轻人前来学习。但受近年疫情影响，竹帘销量锐减。“程序繁多，工作枯燥，收入不尽如人意，学员越来越少。”已到退休年龄的陆晓刚对此有些无奈，但同时表示“虽然年纪大了，但生命不息，传承的薪火不止。”

梁平竹帘如何在保留传统手工基础上研发创新，如何为优秀传统文化传播开辟新途径，如何让古老的文化精品走进千家万户……这些问题一直萦绕在陆晓刚的脑海里。

图片/受访者提供