Finding a place for many traditional arts in the modern art world can be difficult. But still, a great deal of work is being done to preserve these cultural gems.
These craftsmen working in the workshop are weaving ancient silk fabrics called a cloud brocade. It was once only available to the royal family. The fabric has also been called a living fossil. Cloud brocades can be traced back 1,500 years with its designs reflecting the lives and times.
Because the weaving technique can only be taught by hand and oral instruction, it takes at least three years for a craftsman to master the skill before he can start weaving at the loom by himself. Weaving cloud brocades is a labor of love.
The lack of government support is also a problem challenging survival of brocade production. Craftsmen and brocade historians are challenged by the social popularity of their traditional products.
But the brocade is starting to enter popular culture again, quickly becoming a fashionable garment design. The fabric is made into ties, household decorations and gifts but the brocade is still regarded as a luxury.
A cloud brocade museum has also been established to draw more attention to the traditional art. Since the museum applied to the UN for cultural heritage status last year, the workshops and the gift-shops have become popular tourist spots for visitors from home and abroad.
(CCTV.com November 11, 2003)
