Yellow Straw as Cultural Heritage

Xuhang, a canal town located in Shanghai China, is abundant with yellow grass since ancient times. Yellow grass is an herbaceous plant growing along river beach and gained the name for its pale-yellow color.

In Tang Dynasty (618–907 ce ), yellow straw plaiting artwork were first presented as tributes to the emporor. In Qing Dynasty (1368- 1644), massive categories of yellow straw plaiting artworks such as bags and sandels were produced and submitted as tributes to important officials from the capital city. Historical records prove the popularity of straw plaiting thanks to the its exquisite craftsmanship.

However, yellow straw plaiting is purely handcrafted, which requires at least 2~3 days to produce one single item and thus cannot be compared with the efficiency of machinery. Starting from the 20th century, under the wheel of urbanization in China, yellow straw land has continuously shrunk, which makes the heritage of straw plaiting progressively precious. Currently only a handful of elderly people continue to produce traditonal yellow straw artworks.

In 2008, Yellow Straw Plaiting of Xuhang was listed as a representative project of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

Time-honored Craftsmanship 

Xuhang Yellow Straw Plaiting is a craft of plaiting accessories only with the highest quality straw of natural yellow grass. Yellow grass has been flourishing in the land of Xuhang for thousands of years. Semitropical monsoon brings abundant rainfall and sunlight; The unique humidity, daylight condition and soil of Xuhang together cultivated the perfect grass with elegant color, subtle shine, and smooth resilient texture.

Harvested only once a year, yellow straws need to be air-cured under insolation and scrubbed to improve their resilience. Afterwards, they are boiled and colored in dyehouse and hand-picked to meticulously sort out rough strands.

Ultimately, time works wonders. Crafters must carefully preserve finished straws in every color, categorize and bundle them in different length and thickness, and wrap them with moisture-proof packs to be kept away from sunlight. In cool and dry storage rooms, these yellow straws must be preserved for at least three years to build resilience and texture before they are qualified for plaiting. REISO, however, only selects best quality yellow straws that are preserved for 10 years and longer.

Prior to the final plaiting step, each straw accessory must be molded with wood to finalize its form, then followed by hand-plaiting process that is extremely sophisticated and usually takes a few days to produce one single item.

Yellow straws, cultivated by four seasons in nature, represent hope and authenticity. Only with the dedication and persistance of generations of crafters can it convey the beauty of nature and civilization, as well as the self-pursuit of purity.