Dream weavers' misty mountain retreat

Looming boom

The novice artisans in Zhouguan are part of a much wider boom in hands-on learning, especially in Guizhou where traditional crafts are still practiced in communities across the province.

In late October, five students gathered around looms in Dali Dong village in Guizhou for a seven-day course in traditional Dong weaving that cost 5,000 yuan. The key principle for beginners is simple: "Weave slowly, live well."

The course was offered by Weave Wave, a handweaving studio founded in 2020 by Yi Shuai and her partner, who moved from Dali, Yunnan province, to the village to set up the operation.

The classes begin with an introduction to natural fibers including cotton, hemp and silk. Students then learn to spin thread and move on to warping, threading the loom, and weaving. Eventually, they can attempt designing their own fabric.

The third day of the course is crucial. Students are almost ready to start operating the looms, but before they begin, they have to learn how to arrange the warp, or lengthwise, threads.

In the studio's courtyard, one person holds a warping frame and leans back to keep the yarn taut. Another student stands in front of it, combing the threads one by one to make sure they are evenly spaced and held at a consistent tension.

"I started learning to spin thread from my mother when I was eight or nine," said Yang Manzu, 64, who teaches students techniques ranging from the basics to advanced skills.

"I've lost count of how many students I've taught, but I never imagined that people would come all the way to the village and pay to learn this," she said.

Zhu Lingling from Hubei is one of her students.

After graduating from college in 2024, Zhu didn't rush to find a permanent job. Instead, she traveled, tried different lifestyles, and learned new skills. She studied pottery in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China's famed porcelain manufacturing "capital", and also turned her hand to coffee bean roasting and brewing.

She hopes to open a shop of her own one day and put her diverse skills to use. "Coffee is definitely going to be part of it," she said.

Yi said the arrival of students like Zhu reflected a different way of thinking about the balance between work and personal life.

She and her partner began offering weaving courses toward the end of 2023. The courses weren't the studio's main source of income. Most of its revenue came from producing custom handwoven fabrics for various brands.

"Taking a class doesn't mean giving up the career path I'm already on. It's about trying to find a new balance between work, personal interests and life," Yi said.