Woven heritage for today

Being an iconic traditional stringed instrument, the pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) is renowned for producing charming melodies. Yet, a cluster of pipa, devoid of any strings, has been stealing the spotlight recently at exhibitions across China and beyond. How can a stringless pipa captivate audiences so profoundly? The answer lies in its ingenious fusion of age-old craftsmanship.

Stringless pipa feature fronts wrapped in tubu, a type of handwoven cotton cloth with deep roots in Shanghai, and backs adorned with intricate hand-painted motifs. Bathed in various checkered patterns and a sophisticated palette dominated by varying shades of elegant blue and accented with other complementary hues, each piece emerges as a striking work of art that marries cultural heritage with aesthetic innovation.

According to Liu Hui, the leader of the design team behind these creations, the innovative application of handwoven cotton cloth and its refined patterns has unlocked a world of unexpected functionality. When mounted on walls, these pipa transform into decorative pieces, infusing spaces with a touch of traditional Chinese elegance. Placed on desks, they can serve as unique pen holders, merging practicality with artistic flair. Some even feature a cleverly designed mechanism, allowing them to double as jewelry boxes.

Liu, who is a professor at the College of Fashion and Design at Donghua University in Shanghai, has been leading her team to research, collect and revitalize Jiangnan (referring to the southern regions of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) tubu since 2022. It is one of the traditional Chinese handwoven cloths featuring diverse and eye-catching checked patterns. With bold color combinations of red, green and blue, it vibrantly reflects the long-lasting vitality and confidence of traditional folk aesthetics in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Over the years, the team has collected more than 2,000 sets of field data across Shanghai, and identified about 580 representative motifs, including a wide variety of checked patterns.

Liu says that such cotton cloth is not only delicate and beautiful, but also natural, healthy and comfortable to wear. Spun from cotton, the yarn is usually dyed with Chinese medicinal herbs or minerals, which make the cloth moth-proof, soft and skin-friendly. Thus, it is regarded as the perfect option for underwear and bed sheets.

"Jiangnan tubu is far more than just a fabric. It carries centuries of local memories, lived experiences and aesthetic traditions from across the region. You can see the weaver's personality, wisdom, and even their passion for life and perspective on the world through each piece of cloth," says Liu.

Bearing such ideas in mind, the team launched a range of design experiments, which translated the "outdated" fabric into modern fashion and art pieces.

One of their early attempts was a deck of cards inspired by these patterns, which combined the warp-and-weft imagery with elements from Chinese mythology in a modern visual product. As the team delved deeper into traditional and modern integration, they made a colorful variety of clothes and accessories, including brooches, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, weaving Jiangnan tubu patterns into daily life.

The unique pipa and the team's other creative designs have taken many nations by storm over the past three years. Their exhibitions and pop-up showcases have appeared in more than 10 countries, such as the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, attracting visitors from across Europe and Asia. They are also ready to wow audiences in Australia and New Zealand in May.

"Some Spanish visitors even traveled for hours by train to our show, and we could see the curiosity and light in their eyes," recalls Liu with a big smile.

Guo Ziwei, a postgraduate student on the team, agrees with Liu that the most valuable quality of tubu lies not only in the delicate patterns, but also in the handmade texture and living warmth that machines cannot fully replace.

In addition to introducing China's intangible cultural heritage to the world, Liu's team is actively exploring digitization and sustainability, as well as engaging in international exchanges.

Last year, the team was invited to the UK for exhibitions and a cross-cultural dialogue between Jiangnan tubu and Scottish tartan, which have similarities in their checked patterns. The team also carried out fieldwork research in Thailand to learn about local textile techniques.

Eventually, they hope to bring Chinese heritage like tubu out of museums and into people's daily lives across the world.

"Design is no longer just decorative, but a way of cultural translation. It allows the world to see that Chinese heritage is still a living source of creativity, emotional memory and cultural confidence," says Liu.