The fabric of culture

The value of hangluo is derived from two main aspects. First, its exceptional raw materials. The climate in the region is mild, making it an ideal place for mulberry cultivation. Second, the technique is incredibly refined.

Mulberry silk nourished by the soil and water of the Qiantang area has to go through a series of steps — including soaking, reeling, warping, threading the heddles and reeds, waxing, and shaking the warp — before it can be woven on the machine. The rough fabric then undergoes a fine-tuning process and dyeing to become the exquisite hangluo gauze.

In an era of mechanical production, inheriting a traditional craft is not easy, said Zhang Chunqing, 44, head of the Hangluo Conservation Organization in Hangzhou.

Due to the complexity of the process, the weaving technique of hangluo was almost lost. Yet, inheritors, like Zhang, Shao Guanxing and Hong Guizhen, are striving to keep the craft alive.

In the 1980s, Shao and his wife, Hong, fourth-generation representative inheritors of hangluo craftsmanship, managed to restore and improve the ancient manual loom technique.