China’s traditional bamboo weaving artworks become more popular by adding ancient glamor

As a son of the representative inheritor of Dongyang Bamboo Weaving, He Hongliang has not only inherited exquisite craftsmanship and special techniques, but has also skillfully integrated these traditions into everyday orders, fueling the long-lasting popularity of bamboo weaving artworks among a more diverse range of consumers.

He Fuli in his eighties is a representative inheritor of Dongyang Bamboo Weaving rooted in Dongyang City of east China’s Zhejiang Province.

Over 60 years of dedication to bamboo weaving have transformed He Fuli from a novice craftsman into a national-level bamboo weaving master.

Ever since childhood, He Fuli’s two sons have been learning bamboo weaving. Now, they’re the mainstays of the bamboo weaving workshop.

“During early visits to the Forbidden City, I studied the Fanhuang bamboo carving and swastika patterns, which we gradually incorporated into our products. The results were excellent,” said He Hongliang, elder son of He Fuli.

In addition to the masterpiece “Miles-long Dowry,” He Hongliang and his father have created round boxes and baskets symbolizing happiness.

Incorporating both Fanhuang bamboo carving and swastika patterns and motifs, these have become popular wedding gifts.

“These products are needed tomorrow for a wedding. The baskets are meant to be passed down through the generations. They feature bamboo mats with the swastika patterns, a royal motif, symbolizing health. Dongyang people used to rent these items for weddings, but now they’re affluent enough to purchase and pass them down through generations. With orders flooding in, there’s plenty of work to go round. With the popularity of the artworks, the preservation of the bamboo weaving craft can be guaranteed,” He Hongliang said.

The Palestinian death toll in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 40,435, local health authorities said on Monday.

The number of injured has risen to 93,534 in Gaza since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, it said.

The health authorities also reported heavy casualties during the past 24 hours, including 30 dead and 66 injured in the ongoing Israeli military operations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that they continued the military operations in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Rafah, where they killed dozens of Palestinian militants, dismantled some military facilities and found a large number of weapons. They also destroyed an underground tunnel about 700 meters long in Deir al-Balah.

On Monday, several people were killed in an Israeli airstrike, and an apartment in Gaza City was attacked by Israeli forces, according to Palestinian media. In a press statement, al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said that its forces carried out an ambush on five Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties.

A recent spate of Israeli evacuation orders has forced a shutdown of UN agency humanitarian aid operations in Gaza, a senior UN official said on Monday. The official said that under the current conditions, UN humanitarian agencies are unable to carry out their missions and their staff on the ground cannot safely enter and leave the supply center.

The UN relocated its main command operations for Gaza and most of its UN staff there to Deir al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of the southern city of Rafah, the UN official said.