Village in SW China's Yunnan cultivates thriving bamboo weaving industry

Photo shows bamboo-woven elements in Longpu village, Jiayin town, Honghe county, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

Since early February, Yang Yousong, a craftsman in Longpu village, Jiayin town, Honghe county, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has grown increasingly busy. The 76-year-old still has several bamboo table orders to complete while preparing for the county's 2026 Spring Festival bamboo weaving activity involving 100 bamboo weavers.

In general, the bamboo weaving craft involves nearly 20 steps, Yang said. He learned the skill as a teenager and has spent decades weaving bamboo items between farming seasons.

Yang Yousong weaves a bamboo table in Longpu village, Jiayin town, Honghe county, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

Longpu, a Yi ethnic village, has carried forward its bamboo weaving tradition for over 400 years. In 2013, the village established a bamboo weaving craft cooperative, bringing together 128 experienced artisans, integrating local resources, and shifting to an order-based production model.

"Our bamboo products never lack buyers," said Li Shuangbao, Party secretary of Longpu village and head of the cooperative. The village's bamboo weaving exhibition and sales center displays over 70 types of products, from woven hats and tables to baskets, lunch boxes, ornaments and cup sleeves.

"Last year alone, we sold nearly 400,000 yuan ($58,000) worth of small bamboo lunch boxes," Li said.

At Yang's pace, he can weave seven bamboo tables a week. Combined with smaller items like lunch boxes and baskets, he earns over 3,000 yuan a month from bamboo weaving.

Photo shows bamboo-woven products developed by the bamboo weaving craft cooperative in Longpu village, Jiayin town, Honghe county, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

"Orders increase noticeably before the Spring Festival, bringing in an extra 1,000 yuan or so compared with regular months," he said with a smile.

The cooperative completed orders worth 2.26 million yuan in 2024 and 2.4 million yuan in 2025. Ahead of the 2026 Spring Festival, it secured over a dozen new contracts. Popular items such as woven bamboo hats and green bamboo steamers reach customers in places including Sichuan Province, Guiyang city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xizang Autonomous Region, Jiangsu Province and Beijing, and have also gained popularity in countries including Vietnam and Spain.

The Jiayin town bamboo craft exhibition hall displays innovative bamboo-woven products and artworks. Skilled craftsmen have fused bamboo weaving with Yi embroidery, transforming winnowing baskets into wall decorations, broadening product applications and enhancing artistic value. Small bamboo items that once sold for 5 or 10 yuan now fetch dozens of yuan.

The cooperative has invited national-level inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to teach local artisans three-dimensional weaving techniques, introducing new patterns and colors.

Photo shows bamboo-woven lunch boxes in Longpu village, Jiayin town, Honghe county, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin)

This year, the cooperative has grown to 228 members, all bamboo artisans from Longpu village. Li actively encourages young people to join, establishing a council with 25 young members. Drawing on his experience in the handicrafts business, Li leads the group in opening online shops and creating short videos.

"In the past, we relied on horse caravans to carry bamboo-woven products out of the mountains. Now, council members can take orders and sell products online," he said.

Today, the village's bamboo weaving craft has been listed as a prefectural-level intangible cultural heritage, with eight recognized inheritors, including two at the prefectural level and six at the county level.

With support from the China Foundation for Rural Development, the village has conducted 11 sessions introducing bamboo weaving to 12 primary and secondary schools in Honghe county, reaching over 1,000 students, along with seven sessions in local communities.