Dainzin Zhoigar:Tibetan Apron Weaver Extraordinaire

By+DING+WENWEN

THE colorful aprons， or “bangdian，” composed of narrow horizontal stripes which married Tibetan women traditionally wear， are a distinct feature of local life which visitors to Lhasa immediately notice. Jyaidexiu bangdian are made from a finer， more delicate form of the locally produced woolen fabric known as pulu. We took a trip to Jyaidexiu Town， the so-called “hometown of bangdian，” in Gonggar County， Shannan Prefecture， to find out more about this main item of the traditional Tibetan costume.

More than 10 Procedures

There are in Jyaidexiu Town three large-scale bangdian enterprises. They comprise the Jyaidexiu Apron Plant， the Jyaidexiu Dui-Pulu Association， and the Jyaidexiu Gesang Apron Specialty FarmersHerders Cooperative.

We met Dainzin Zhoigar， bangdian inheritor， around midday in Jyaidexiu Village of Jyaidexiu Town， Gonggar County， Shannan Prefecture. At age 23， she is already the regional inheritor of the Tibetan apron. As her home was under construction， she took us to villager Cerings home.

On the left-hand side of the main room that functions as the Cering family workshop stand five traditional wooden looms. The history of Jyaidexiu Towns ethnic handicrafts goes back 1，500 years. Almost every household is engaged in textile industry. The Jyaidexiu bangdian is a specialized handicraft with a 500-year history. These products are well known in the domestic market， and are also exported to India， Nepal， Bhutan， and Western Europe. The bangdian weaving skill has been handed down over generations of Jyaidexiu farmers.

“There are 10 stages of bangdian manufacture， ranging from spinning， dyeing and weaving the yarn，” Zhoigar said. Bangdian are in many styles， but those produced by mechanical weaving machines feature seven colors only. Jyaidexiu bangdian are entirely handmade. There are stringent requirements at each stage of their production process， and more than 20 shades of dye are used for dyeing. The raw material is high quality wool. The finished product is the result of carding and twisting yarn （the weft thicker than the warp）， working it on the loom （shuttle weaving）， pattern weaving， coloring， dyeing， rubbing， and drying. The dyes， made from rocks and plants， are indigenous to Tibet. The woolen threads are in more than 20 vibrant colors， and are fade-resistant. Jyaidexiu Town has a weaving technique all of its own， and every procedure is hand operated. Weaving one bangdian takes a textile worker a whole day to accomplish.endprint

Long Chain of Inheritance

When Dainzin Zhoigar was 13 years old， she dropped out of school and started learning how to weave bangdian from her parents. “At first it seemed to me an arduous process， but I eventually fell under the spell of bangdian. My mother and I wove Tibetan aprons and my father took them to Lhasa to sell. Over time our products won recognition from customers. In 2002， our family set up a cooperative in Simai Village of Jyaixiu Town that we called the Jyaidexiu Gesang Apron Specialty FarmersHerders Cooperative. We hired as workers villagers adept at weaving aprons. Every year before Tibetan New Year， our supply falls short of demand，” Dainzin Zhoigar said.

Gesang， Dainzin Zhoigars father， a national inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage， excelled at weaving Tibetan aprons. In his capacity as inheritor， he set up an institute teaching weaving techniques. Gesang also cooperated with Gonggar Vocational Technology School to train Bangdian manufacturers. Each year the institute produces four to five graduates. With its low output and high quality， Dainzin Zhoigars products sell well， to the extent of selling out.

In 2011， when her father passed away， Dainzin Zhoigars burden grew heavier. “I will hand down the traditional weaving technique from generation to generation， and carry forward the intangible cultural heritage.” This， Zhoigar said， was her sole mission. Thereafter， she and her mother took full responsibility for the cooperative. “In the daytime I was busy with the factory matters， and at night I learned to read and write Chinese characters from the Xinhua Dictionary. I took it with me everywhere， whether to Beijing to attend sales exhibitions， or to Shanghai for the World Expo.” Dainzin Zhoigar knew that her Chinese proficiency needed work， and so imposed on herself a strict study regimen.

The products of the cooperative， such as colorful bangdian， woolen scarves， shawls， and small travel back packs， were well received at the 2014 First China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo. “On the first day of the expo， all bangdian sold out. When the expo ended， only a few back packs were left. The total sales volume reached RMB 40，000. Besides local residents， tourists also bought our products， and many asked for my contact information with the intent of ordering custom made products. At present， our products are wholesaled to Lhasa， Xigaze and Nagqu， and exported to Japan. In 2004 a Japanese woman came to my home to order bangdian， wallets， and scarves. Our cooperation continues to this day. We make products according to designs and patterns she provides.”endprint

Hand Weaving from Generation to Generation

Jyaidexiu Town of Gonggar County， Shannan Prefecture is known as the“hometown of bangdian.” It has many small shops， and every family has one or more looms. Its tweed products and pulu used to be given in tribute to imperial courts. Today almost every family works in textiles， and Jyaidexiu is one of the Bangdian production centers. As a local specialty， Bangdian has long been sold to various localities.

In Jyaidexiu Town， the wholesale price of a handmade bangdian is RMB 250， and the retail price is RMB 260-270. Dainzin Zhoigar said， “Workers earn RMB 80 for each bangdian they weave. A worker can produce one piece per day， and can earn RMB 2，400 a month. Weaving bangdian has now become residents main source of income.” Yangzom， a woman worker at Dainzin Zhoigars cooperative， told us that she has been coming to the cooperative to weave bangdian when she is not busy with farm work for more than three years. “I can earn RMB 80 for each apron I weave. Other than the two months when farm work is busy， I can earn more than RMB 20，000 per year.” Yangzom is content with her life.

After years of development， the bangdian produced at Dainzin Zhoigars cooperative are not only well known in Tibet， but also exported to Japan and Nepal. “I have taken part in many large-scale exhibitions， such as the Shanghai Expo and the Chengdu Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival. Our bangdian are well received. When I see good woven and knitted articles， I take photos for research purposes， and use them to improve our products.”Dainzin Zhoigar admitted that she always exchanges ideas with domestic exhibitors at sale exhibitions， and that she has learned much from them.“Now is the machine era， and efficiency is the key. Will you stick to hand-weaving？” Dainzin Zhoigar pondered this question raised by the reporter for a while before answering， “The profit earned for one hand-woven bangdian is no more than RMB 10. Although meager， as an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage I will keep doing it this way， and hand the technique down from generation to generation.”

Tibet tours are becoming more and more popular， and many tourists buy bangdian as tourist souvenirs， so supply is often short of demand. This year Dainzin Zhoigar has decided to expand production. She is building new workshops to house more looms and workers， especially women textile workers. The new plant covers an area of 2，600 square meters， double the original size. The exhibition hall has also been expanded， and new facilities such as dye houses added. She hopes that greater numbers of local women will join her production team.endprint