Brocade pieces woven by Wa ladies

Wa people in southwest Yunnan’s Ximeng Wa autonomous county is good at brocading. They inherited the ancient skills of brocade. By repeated weaving, the brocade products are of various shapes and colors.

The primary colors are black and red and are coordinated with yellow, green, white and blue. Some parts will have a touch of pink and brown. The finished products are just like rainbows hanging in the sky.

In their brocade works, Wa folks put rivers, mountains, forests, clouds and evening glows in the patterns. The unique patterns show the lifestyles of Wa people. With time passing by, the brocade works absorb modern elementsfor more popularity.

The brocade skills of Wa people was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

Reporting by Hu Shuya (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Yunya