China's traditional wickerwork

Wickerwork is one of the traditional folk arts and crafts in China. In ancient times, people only regarded it as an ordinary daily public utility, and it didn't rise gradually until the last few decades of the 20th century, and it gradually became an export-oriented foreign exchange earning project in some parts of China. China has three major wickerwork production bases, namely Hubei, Shandong and Anhui (in addition, Henan is also rich in wickerwork). On June 7th, 2008, wickerwork was approved by the State Council to be included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

The origin of wickerwork can be traced back to the early Paleolithic period. Primitive people made various containers and packages in the process of collecting crops, used resilient plants and made different types of wicker products by means of preliminary compilation. From the slave society to the Warring States period, wickerwork has been widely used in people's lives, and after various dynasties, it has become one of the indispensable appliances in people's daily life.

Baskets and baskets woven with wicker appeared in the Neolithic Age. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wicker was woven into cups and plates and painted on the outside, called cups. In the Tang Dynasty, the willow boxes in Cangzhou (now Cangzhou, Hebei Province, and northern Ningjin, Shandong Province) were very famous. In the Song Dynasty, people took thin strips of willow leaves, "fire forced them to bend and make them into boxes". Since then, wickerwork technology has been developing continuously. Traditional wickerwork varieties mainly include suitcases, baskets and dustpans. Since 1960, the export and production of handicrafts in wickerwork, China have made great progress.