Zhang Shishen – Inheritor of Tie-dyeing Skills of Bai Ethnic Minority in Xizhou Town, Dali
Profile
Zhang Shishen(张仕绅,1941-) is the inheritor of Tie-dyeing Skills of Bai Ethnic Minority(白族扎染技艺) in Xizhou Town(喜洲镇), Dali(大理).
Achievement
Zhang Shishen plays an important role in the inheritance and development of Tie-dyeing Skills of Bai Ethnic Minority.Since 1987, he has been the director of Tie -dyeing Nationnality Factory in Dali(大理民族扎染厂) for more than 20 years. With his unique development concept and management model, he has established an unknown small factory into a well-known enterprise at home and abroad. The products are exported to more than 10 countries and major cities in China, which has created considerable economic benefits for the local villagers.The problem of employment of surplus rural labor force in Zhoucheng Village(周城村), surrounding villages and Weishan County(巍山县) was solved, which promoted the initiative of Bai ethnic people in Zhoucheng Village to consciously inherit and develop Tie-dyeing skills.
Personal Experiences
Zhang Shishen loved Bai ethnic folk art since childhood. In 1956, he followed his mother to learn the Tie-dyeing Skills of Bai Ethnic Minority. Through more than 20 years of continuous exploration, he innovated and developed the Tie-dyeing methods and flower-color varieties, depending on the Traditional Tie-dyeing methods and fermentation liquid, Mudi(母滴).Five tie-dyeing techniques, such as folding(折叠法), sewing(平缝法) and winding(缠绕法), have been developed to 26 kinds of tie-dyeing, such as pick-and-tie(挑扎), hook-tie(勾扎) and combination-tie(组合扎). Flower patterns have developed from three kinds of pinch flowers, small butterflies and caterpillars to various patterns such as Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi(福禄寿喜), Flowers, Birds, Fishes and Insects(花鸟鱼虫).Product varieties have developed from the original sheets to window curtains, door curtains, tablecloths, scarves, headscarves, backpacks, hanging bags, shoes, hats, clothes and so on. He also used other plants and modern bleaching technology to develop red, yellow, green, emerald, jade green and other colors.
Chinese Version:http://www.ynich.cn/view-ml-13110-810.html
Translated by Olive/张银芳
