Inheritor devoted to passing on traditional carpet manufacturing technique in China's Gansu

Liang Jun (right) checks a carpet. (Photo/Minzu Ribao)

Liang Jun, a 41-year-old inheritor of the Linxia carpet manufacturing technique from Linxia county, northwest China's Gansu Province, has always devoted himself to passing on the traditional craft.

Wielding wool in his left hand and a knife in his right hand to cut the wool whenever a knot is completed, Liang magically turns 10 different colors of wool into a work of art that is lifelike and has a feeling of depth.

It takes at least 10 procedures to turn raw materials into one carpet, including drawing pictures, choosing the wool, spinning the yarn and weaving the carpet, among others.

Liang Jun shows a carpet. (Photo/Minzu Ribao)

Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province was previously an important hub along the ancient Silk Road. The local carpet manufacturing craft started to spread along the ancient Silk Road more than 1,000 years ago. Its carpets and tapestries were exquisite and durable, winning over domestic and foreign customers.

“These days, we work on antique carpets. The workers need to tie tens of thousands of knots on a carpet, and it takes more than two months to finish one such piece," Liang explained, adding that the traditional craft was once in danger of having no one to inherit it due to the widespread use of machinery in producing the handiworks nowadays.

As an inheritor of the craft, Liang said weaving carpets is his lifelong career, and as the craft has been passed on through generations, it has great cultural significance.

A worker weaves a carpet. (Photo/Minzu Ribao)

Liang chose to work in this field after graduating from university, learning the techniques from his father and other craftsmen in a systematic manner.

Today, he works for a carpet company that has adopted an order-driven production model. One square meter of carpet is sold at between 1,500 yuan ($207) and 1,800 yuan, and the company’s annual sales volume stands at around 2 million yuan.