I will be in China with my husband, for his work, from August 30 to September 11 this year. We will be in Changchun, Xi'an, Wuhan and Beijing, in that order. I have done some searching and have asked one of the weaving email lists and the Travelry group in Ravelry. I now believe that there is very little handweaving currently in China except for a few indigenous groups which are on other regions of the nation. It is always nice to meet weavers in another country! But I also love to see handwoven textiles in exhibits, museums and shops. China has a long history of excellent weaving for thousands of years. Have you seen any weaving exhibits or looms in these 4 cities? Do you know any shops with handwoven textiles?

Any exhibits with interesting textiles of any sort where I am going?

Thanks in advance!

Bonnie Inouye

Comments

tommye scanlin

Bonnie,

You might want to visit Monique Lehman's blog at http://chinafiberart.blogspot.com to see some of the experiences she's having there.  She is a tapestry artist who travels and exhibits internationally.

Tommye

Bonnie Inouye (not verified)

Now I realize that I should have tried searching on China Fiber Art. I tried China with textiles and weaving and handweaving and crafts...

Bonnie

blueskies (not verified)

In 2013 I had the pleasure of touring some of the cities on your itinerary.  The only museum I visited that had weaving displays of any kind were in Xian, named the Shaanxi Museum.  It had some antique looms on display. 

It is too bad Shanghai is not on your path.  The Shanghai Museum had a stunning display of textiles from various ethnic groups.  Also we toured a silk factory that demonstrated weaving silk rugs, the process of reeling silk, making caps and then taking the caps and making the most amazing batts to stuff in comforters or other items.  On the cruise part of the tour various handicrafts were demonstrated such as silk embroidery. However, in talking to the embroiderer the day after the demonstration, I had the impression "big Brother" was in charge of what she was allowed to offer and they set the prices and took a cut. 

I cannot be certain, but my overall impression of China was that the pursuit of many things we take for granted in the West is not allowed by the Chinese government.  You would find it a real challenge to pursue handweaving on your own in China without some sort of government approval.

China is sort of overwhelming.  So much to see and try to understand in such a short amount of time.  Enjoy!

Norma