——Jiaodong Wisdom and Humor between the Warp and Weft
1. Origin of Straw Weaving
“A farmer’s woman in Shahe pinches three straws—the herringbone pattern hides the past and present”
Interpretation: It comes from the legend of the origin of Laizhou straw weaving. Three straws pinch out the herringbone pattern, which opens up the thousand-year-old art.
2. Braiding Skills
“The old craftsman dances with the straw with his ten fingers—the centipede and the dragon swim in his palm”
Interpretation: It describes the superb skills of the artist’s fingertips pinching out “centipede pattern” and “dragon pattern”, which coincides with the Jiaodong folk saying “Ten fingers are full of flowers”.
3. Sulfur Tempering Art
“Sulfur smoked straw through five levels—white as jade and fragrant for a hundred years”
Interpretation: It refers to the fact that wheat straw is white and does not fade after the five processes of “combing, cutting, picking, picking, and smoking”, which is homophonic to “passing the levels and defeating the generals”.
4. Corn Nirvana
“Corn husk jumps on the Paris stage—the soil material turns into a golden shirt”
Interpretation: It echoes the transformation legend of Laizhou straw weaving using corn husk to innovate the design and enter the international stage.
5. Pattern Code
“Stories woven with fan-shaped sieves – Embroidery on grass in all aspects of life”
Interpretation: Jiaodong people incorporate life observations into “fan-shaped patterns” and “sieve patterns”, and straw braids become a “wordless book” that records folk customs.
6. Straw Hat Philosophy
“Wearing a straw hat to harvest wheat in the scorching sun – supporting the sun and the world”
Pun: It not only describes the wheat harvest scene, but also implies that straw braiding skills bear the heavy responsibility of people’s livelihood.
7. International Journey
“Laizhou straw braids break through the gold mountain – Panama medals are plated with grass fragrance”
Allusion: In 1915, the “Shahebai” straw braid won the special award of the Panama Expo, which is homophonic to “gilded”.
8. Rebirth of Intangible Cultural Heritage
“Corn husks wrapped with calfskin – old craftsmanship put on foreign suits”
Pun: refers to the integration of traditional straw braiding with modern materials, such as the innovative craftsmanship of Laizhou straw braiding and leather.
9. Lights in Thousands of Houses
“Pinning braids on the kang to exchange for color TVs – wheat straw can support half the sky”
Mark of the times: In the 1970s, the straw weaving industry promoted people’s livelihood, and the collective memory of peasant women buying home appliances with their skills.
10. Future predictions
“The grass pattern is hidden in the blockchain – the ancestor’s code enters the metaverse”
Innovative stalks: Combined with the digital inheritance of Laizhou straw weaving, the modernization of intangible cultural heritage is ridiculed with scientific and technological terms.